Missing Princess
by Tohru-tan
Summary: Tohru is suddenly kidnapped by a dark figure while walking home with groceries one day. Who is he, and why did he kidnap Tohru? Will the Sohmas see her again? Find out by reading! After 3 long months, chapter 8 is up!
1. Chapter 1: Swiped

Hello everyone! Greetings! My name is Annie, though I do go under the alias "Tohru-kun" or "Tohru-chan." I just changed my pen name to Tohru-tan today, which is July 10th, 2005. Otherwise, I used to be known as Yukyoru. Not an insignificant name, but not exactly easy to remember, so I changed it. I'm a 14 year old in California….optimistic and cheery…. Anyways, enough about me. This is my first ever fan fiction, so I sincerely hope I don't disappoint. If you have any opinions on what I should have happen to Tohru or anyone, or if you are requesting a certain coupling, feel free to do so, because I've not really decided on a coupling, nor do I really know what I should have happen to Tohru….. Anyways, I know that the story might be somewhat of a cliché, but oh well! Hope you like it!

Missing Princess

Chapter 1: Swiped

"I'm going to buy some groceries! I will be back soon!" Tohru smiled and waved at the Sohmas.

"Wait, Honda-san – do you want me to come with you?" Yuki asked.

Tohru shook her head. "No, I will be fine, don't worry about me!" She strolled off towards the grocery store, thinking of what she would make for dinner tonight. She walked into the grocery store, picking up some of this and some of that. She paid for her groceries and stepped outside, only to find that it had started raining. "The Earth is being replenished!" she said softly to herself with a smile. She opened her umbrella and began walking home, not knowing it might be her last walk home for a long time.

* * *

Tohru had left for the groceries at 5 P.M. It was already 7 and still there was no sign of Tohru. Naturally, the Sohmas began to get worried. Minutes ticked by. Minutes became hours. By the time that it was 9, Yuki couldn't take it any longer. "I'm going to go look for Honda-san!" He pulled out an umbrella and ran off into the rain. Kyou wanted to go, but he was always tired when it rained, so he was letting Yuki go just this once. Shigure sighed and went off to continue writing, deciding he would just order a bento later.

* * *

Tohru had just been walking home with the groceries around 6. She had been walking home through the forests in front of the Sohmas house around 6:15, eager to cook dinner. 

A dark figure sat behind a bush, waiting for his target to walk by. It was then that he saw Tohru walking by on the path just in front of a tree. She was smiling, as usual. The dark figure's cerulean blue eyes twinkled from behind the bush. _Target spotted. Good. Now to enact the plan and fulfill this mission._ Without warning, he stealthily crawled up behind her and swiftly grabbed her. Her groceries fell all over the ground. She struggled to break free from his grasp, her favorite yellow ribbons – the ones she had received from Yuki on Valentines Day – undoing themselves and falling next to her groceries. Tohru struggled futilely, but the dark figure whispered into her ear, "I'm sorry, princess," and knocked her out. With that, the dark figure carried her off, placing her in a car before speeding off. As for the groceries, they lay there forgotten, being marked as Tohru's groceries by her hopeful yellow ribbons that lay there.

* * *

Yuki ran through the streets, looking frantically for some sign of Tohru. "HONDA-SAN! HONDA-SAN, WHERE ARE YOU!" Yuki splashed through puddle after puddle, running through streets and streets. He had forgotten about his curse entirely, though he had not bumped into anyone yet. Seeing a payphone, he ran to it. He stood there for a moment, catching his breath. He had been looking for her for at least an hour and a half now, but he had not seen any trace of her anywhere. He pulled out some coins from his pocket, his cold fingers trembling as he dialed the number to Shigure's home. 

Shigure had dozed off, though he was startled and awaken from his slumber by a phone call. "It's too late, I'm sleepy, call back tomorrow..." he said to the phone, not picking it up.

_Shit, why isn't Shigure picking up!_ Yuki thought angrily. He slammed the phone into the receiver, his gelid fingers fumbling his pockets for more coins. He dialed Shigure's number again.

Lazily, Shigure fluttered an eye open when the phone woke him up yet again. Sighing, he picked up the phone again, sleepily saying, "Moshi moshi, Shigure speaking."

"SHIGURE! I can't find Honda-san anywhere! Has she come home yet!"

Looking over to the clock, it was 10:30. Startled, Shigure said, "No, it's 10:30 already. Where could she be?" Shigure wondered. The same Shigure who was usually carefree now had a hint of worry in his voice.

"Listen, I'm freezing, so I'm going to come home. Call Hatori, see if she is there." With that, Yuki hung up. "Honda-san, where _are_ you?" he said to himself.

Shigure simply nodded and put down the receiver. He picked it up again, dialing Hatori's number, hoping Tohru was there. Kyou stumbled down the stairs. "Is the idiot home yet?" Shigure closed his eyes and shook his head. Kyou was thoroughly angry and punched the wall. Shigure winced and sighed but said nothing. _Kyou, could you not destroy my home, for once?_

Trembling, Yuki walked home through the forest. The rain had not given up, and it poured down as strong as ever. As he walked through the forest, he stepped on something squishy. He looked down to see he had stepped on a tomato. His eyes opened wide as he spotted the scattered groceries, and his eyes opened wide when he spotted the now dirty yellow ribbons Tohru had been wearing earlier today. He gingerly picked them up, not knowing what to do, and wondering just what had happened to Tohru. _Kami-sama, **please** keep her safe…_

Missing Princess – Chapter 1: Swiped / END

Well now, that was my first chapter! If people really dislike it I will not continue it, so your support is important! I would be deeply grateful if you reviewed me (or actually, if you reviewed this story ! I might make the characters somewhat off character at times, though I myself prefer that the characters stay as they are unless the role I put them in still kind of fits them well. Anyways, thank you for reading my first chapter! Hope to see you all in another chapter!

( (Tohru-tan) )


	2. Chapter 2: Who and Why?

Wow, so many people liked my first chapter! That makes me so happy! Well, let me answer some reviews before I continue with the story…Thanks to all 11 of you who reviewed! I really appreciate it! I alphabetized it by username to make it easier to find my response to your review

**1penhead** – Thanks! It is indeed my first though, I promise! I hope I updated soon enough for you!

**Aria's Star** – I hope this was an early enough update for you! I am pleased to know that my story makes you wonder what happen to Tohru….I think it's really cute to see Yuki worry because I am evil like that! P

**Ashley** – Really? It keeps the reader in suspense? Excellent! smirks evilly Of course I will continue the story!

**BbyFlipghurl** – Yay! I'm glad you are enjoying this!

**Beckerkid-51** – YESSSSS! My story is intriguing, as I want it to be! Yeah, you did spell it right ) No, I don't know you, but you will be able to read this because I emailed you….I hope…I look forward to your next review! I think I will primarily write Fruits Basket fan fictions, anyways…

**Chiratsuku** – Lol, I didn't quite realize I had made it much of a cliffhanger. Ahh well! Haha, you'll be closer to finding out if it is one of the juunishi or not if you read this chapter!

**Cr** – It's good to hear that you and 10 others have really liked my first chapter!

**Evilalternateendingstorywriter** – Woah, what a username! Lol. I will indeed keep writing!

**Furuba190** – Thanks!

**Roselin Caroille** – Of course, this story is dear and near to me, as it is my first fan fic! I am not about to end it just yet!

**Ultimate-Furuba-Freak** – Your enthusiasm really excites me! Wrath of your machete….? hides in the corner and stares at the machete with extreme caution AHHHH! THE EVIL MACHETE OF DOOM IS GOING TO KILL ME! RUNNNNNN! Lol.

Okay, now, onto chapter two! Sorry to have made you wait! Hope this is just as good as my first chapter!

Missing Princess

Chapter 2: Who and Why?

Yuki held the ribbons in his hands tightly, holding back tears. _ Who could do this to us? Why would anyone kidnap Tohru? Why, Kami-sama, why! I will kill Akito if he is behind this…._ Carefully folding Tohru's ribbons and putting them safely into his pocket, he collected the scattered groceries. Then he rushed back to Shigure's house as quickly as possible, not knowing what to do next. _She means so much to all of us…we've got to do something…!_ All he could hope for as he raced back was Tohru's safety.

* * *

Shigure slowly dialed Hatori's number. He waited for Hatori to pick up, hoping his long-time friend would deliver good news to him.

Hatori was awake, seeing as it was only 10:45 PM. He picked up the phone almost immediately, wondering who would call the Sohma estate so late at night. "Moshi moshi, this is Dr. Hatori Sohma speaking."

Shigure tried to sound calm and kept his voice steady. He made his voice excited and sweet, trying to conceal any signs that he was worried. "Ahh! Ha-san! Hi! How are you, my dear friend? What are you doing up so late?"

Hatori was thoroughly annoyed that Shigure was being stupid, and that too in the midst of a rainy night. "Just working. Stop being stupid and tell me what do you need. Is Yuki having an attack?"

Shigure whined, having been called stupid. "Ahh, Ha-san, you're so cruel! Well, since you're so mean, I'm just going to ask you my question! Is Tohru over there?"

Hatori nearly snorted. "And just why would she be here?"

Shigure sighed and continued, "Well, she's been gone since 5 o'clock this evening. She only went to get groceries, and she hasn't come back yet. Yuki went to go find her, but he hasn't got any luck at all. No signs or anything….well, that's all, thanks anyways, Ha-san." Shigure sadly hung up. Hatori did the same, concerned that something had happened to Tohru.

* * *

Yuki rushed inside of Shigure's house, dropping the groceries on the floor. He fell to his knees and hands and panted from exhaustion. "Yuki-kun!" Shigure yelped. He hurriedly brought a blanket and draped it over Yuki.

"Kidnapped….," Yuki panted. "She's been kidnapped!"

Shigure blinked. "Kidnapped? But why would anyone kidnap Tohru? And just how do you know she's been kidnapped?"

Yuki merely pointed to the groceries. "Those wouldn't have been on the ground in the forest would they? And why would her ribbons have been there?" Yuki pulled out her wet, dirty ribbons delicately from his pocket and showed them to Shigure.

Shigure was speechless. Kidnapped. Tohru had been kidnapped. He had only read of such things, but now someone precious to all of the Sohmas had been kidnapped, and that too on their own land. Shigure had to find his voice again and simply remarked, "Who? Why? What would they do with Tohru?" Yuki could only shake his head as he held onto the ribbons tightly.

Kyou climbed down the stairs when he heard Yuki's voice. "Kuso nezumi, did you find her?" His answer was there when he saw Yuki and the usually-happy Shigure crouched together on the floor, solemn, quiet, and thinking. _How unlike both of them_, he told himself. He stepped closer and was in shock when he saw groceries and Tohru's dirty ribbons in Yuki's cold, frail hands. "She's not here? She's…gone?" Kyou was in shock. All Yuki could do was nod. None of them would be able to sleep tonight.

* * *

Tohru heard voices, and she slowly opened her eyes.

"…did well, Izumi Takamiya. I'll leave now, be good to her until I come back," someone murmured.

Izumi closed his blue eyes and bowed. "Thank you, I will." As soon as the other man left, he turned around and saw Tohru waking up. "Ahh, you're finally awake? How is your head? Did you get hit too hard?"

Tohru's blurred vision slowly cleared. She sat up and looked at her surroundings. It seemed like she was in some kind of a mansion. She was wearing light blue silk pajamas and was in a large bed with a canopy in it. The room was richly decorated, with antiques sitting all over the room on tables. There was even a sofa in the room. Tohru wondered why she was in such an extravagant place. She looked at the man who was talking to her. _ Who is he? Where am I! Where are Shigure-san, Kyou-kun, and Yuki-kun! _Her panic was obvious, and it was written clearly on her face. "Who…"

"…am I?" Izumi finished. "My name is Izumi Takamiya, and you're in the mansion of Reiji Aoe. I hope you enjoy being here." He smiled sweetly and his blue eyes twinkled. Tohru, of course, was fooled by this fake demeanor.

"Why am I here? Where are Yuki-kun, Kyou-kun, and Shigure-san?" Questions buzzed in Tohru's head. She didn't quite realize that she had been kidnapped. "Thank you for letting me stay here, but I have to get home…"

"Please, stay here a little longer! I will let you know why you are here. I have been given strict orders not to let you go home until I have Master's permission."

Confused, Tohru decided she would at least call the Sohmas and let them know of her whereabouts. "May I use the phone, then?"

Izumi shook his head. "I'm sorry, not right now, but perhaps later." His shoulder-length, straight golden hair glimmered in the light of the sun. He was dressed very formally, because it was only 8 AM and still he was wearing crisp black pants, a silky white shirt, a silky black tie, and a black vest on top of it all.

Tohru was definitely confused. "The Sohmas will become worried about me if I don't let them know that somebody hit me yesterday and that you guys saved me…" Izumi silenced her by sitting on the bed and putting a finger to her lips.

"Don't lead me to take any drastic steps, princess." Tohru tensed up, seeing at how unnaturally close his face was to hers.

"H-hai…gomen nasai...," Tohru trailed off. _Okaa-san, help me! I have to get home! Why is this man calling me princess! _Tohru decided that she may as well ask. "Ano, Takamiya-san, why are you calling me princess?"

Izumi laughed and shook his head. _ Hmm, she's not too bright, is she? I wonder what Master sees in her? _"If I were to tell you everything now, then we would have caught a mouse for nothing." Disgusting images filled his perverted mind, but he knew better than to do anything to this innocent girl. "I'll stop by later. Go take a bath. The maids will help you." With that, he strolled out of the room, leaving Tohru with a few maids and a whole bunch of questions. Today would be a long day for sure, and Tohru knew it. She would have to contact the Sohmas somehow, no matter what.

_Who is Reiji Aoe? What does he want with me? Why does Izumi call me princess? Why won't he tell me anything? How am I going to tell the Sohmas I am safe?_ Questions ran through her head like a fast-flowing river. Unfortunately, neither she nor the Sohmas would be getting answers anytime soon.

Missing Princess – Chapter 2: Who and Why/ END

I know Akito is a girl, but I prefer to leave Akito as a male in my story.

Ahh, a second chapter. I want to take it all a bit slowly in the beginning, so not too much happened in this chapter. Sorry about that! ;; Hopefully, I kept you interested enough so as to lead you into my next chapter. What do you guys think? Who do you think Izumi's "Master" is? Out of curiously, I'm also wondering what you, as the readers, think: why do you think Tohru has been kidnapped? Sorry if this chapter disappoints you, but it will be very interesting in the next chapter, I promise! Thanks for all the wonderful reviews, I hope to see you all soon!

- ( Tohru-tan ) -


	3. Chapter 3: A Plausible Suspect

**Wow, I shock myself.** I'm getting so many reviews for this and I've only written two chapters! I think that the idea is pretty crappy, but I'm figuring out ways to make the story weird and twist the plot so it will be interesting to read….smirks evilly Well, let me respond to the reviews first, as usual!

**Animegoof** – Yes, well, I had wanted Kyou to go out too look for her as well, but the rain makes him weak, which is why he wouldn't have gone. He might have transformed out there, so it wouldn't be healthy for him to go out when it rains really hard.

**Anomous** – I'm assuming you prefer to remain anonymous, but that's okay! Wow, multiple people like my story! Cool!

**Aria's Star** – Wow, you're the only reviewer so far who actually responded to my questions at the bottom! I like to make the readers think about possible outcomes, partially because it gives me ideas, too! Lol, I am very glad to hear that my story is interesting and that I don't give too much away. I beta for people because English is an easy, easy subject for me, so I kind of beta my own story -.-; Yeah, she is a "princess" (you'll find out why in the next chapter) but there hasn't been a mistake in the person who was kidnapped. Excellent idea though, it makes me wonder…ponders laughs evilly Thanks for reviewing!

**Beckerkid-51** – Lol, no problem! Did I email you? I don't remember but maybe I did…oh well, I'll email you again anyways! I think it automatically sends you a notification if I update if you put me on Author Alert or something, doesn't it? An A, yay!

**CaliCallMePrincess** – I won't stop updating, I kind of like how it I turning out so far, so…well, you get the idea! Lol. Wow, I have you hooked? Really? Yay!

**CallaRose** – Thanks! Not her mother's family, but yes, it is someone rich! Akito…mwahahaha…let us see if it is Akito or one of his lackeys! Thanks for wanting more, that motivates me!

**Chiratsuku** – Yes, I hoped it would leave the readers with more questions! I did update ASAP! Hope you like this chapter!

**Crazylovestory89** – Lol, I have two chapters, and this would be my third! Lol, you will find out who Reiji Aoe is in this chapter a little and more in the next one….ooh, I think Tohru's reason of kidnapping will also be answered in the next one….sorry for not updating fast enough -.-;

**Dark Resister** – Yes indeed, I will! Thanks for reviewing!

**Evilalternateendingstorywriter** – Haha, me and my suspense! grins evilly

**Lizzie** – Thank you! Lol, well, my evil twisting will lead you to find out who the master is and what his intentions are soon enough! Lol, don't worry about spelling things right, so long as I get the idea of what you're trying to say. You were only off by one letter anyways – you just put an "o" in front of the first "u" in "curious." No worries!

**Pie Luving Hobo** – Gahhhh! No! Not the evil ninja monkeys! I don't want to get attacked! runs from you

**Stargazerr** – Thank you, I will!

**Togetheritsumo** – Ohh yes, the "Master" and his intentions are to be revealed! In the next chapter, of course. Lol. Thank you, I'm very excited to write because of all the good comments I've been getting!

**Ultimate-Furuba-Freak** – Hey! If you kill me then…I'll stop writing! Ureshi des! I'm excited that you like my story this much! Haha, I don't ever realize I make cliffhangers, I just sort of write whatever every day or two…or three….-.-;

Well, thanks for all the wonderful reviews! I think I got all of them…Sorry it took me a bit to update, I was debating what order to put things in. Also, I updated the previous chapters because I realized that the cute little separator I was using wasn't showing up. Thus, I just added the rulers to separate sections; that way, the story will make more sense. Sorry about that! Just feel free to take a look over as to where I put the rulers so you understand that I'm writing the story from various angles. Well, I hope this chapter was sort of worth the wait! Here is chapter 3!

Missing Princess

Chapter 3: A Plausible Suspect

Tohru was definitely worried. It had been a whole week already and she had still been unable to contact the Sohmas. She wasn't uncomfortable by any means at all, and Reiji Aoe himself made sure of that. She was given very beautiful clothes each and every morning – dresses of silk with matching gloves, dresses with intricate patterns, and pretty shoes. Reiji had already given anything you could possibly name to Tohru. She had even gotten her own hairdresser. In fact, she was treated no less than a princess. Nobody could turn down such a lifestyle; despite the major differences in her normal life and this one, Tohru couldn't deny to herself that she liked this treatment. She did wish she could share it with her family – the Sohmas – though. She didn't want to bother anyone, and she didn't request anything from Reiji save for means of contact, which they still didn't give her.

_Why don't they let me talk to anyone? I **need** to talk to someone from the Sohma family soon! I bet they are so worried about me!_ Tohru was most certainly worried about being here, and her heart would not be at ease until she did something. She decided to take some of the pretty stationary she had received and wrote a letter to the Sohmas. In it, she explained everything and let them know that she was perfectly fine. She even told them of what she had been doing the past seven days. After an hour of writing, she put her pen down. "Ahh, I'm finally done!" She addressed the envelope and gave it to one of her maids. "Excuse me, could you mail this, please?" She looked at the maid, who held out her hand for the letter. Tohru stared at the letter and realized that she didn't have a stamp. "Ohh…I don't have any stamps…."

"Don't worry about it; I will take care of it!" The maid assured Tohru that the letter would reach the Sohmas and hurried off to give the letter to the "postman" – Reiji Aoe.

* * *

Tohru was at some peace at the Aoe mansion, but what about the poor Sohmas? They, of course, were not at all comfortable with the fact that Tohru was gone. By now, all of the Sohmas who had bothered to ask (which was just about everyone except Akito, Kureno, and Rin) now knew that Tohru had been kidnapped.

For the past week, Yuki, Kyou, Haru, and Momiji resumed school, trying to act as if nothing had happened. But Yuki couldn't ignore her empty seat in class every day, and neither could Kyou. Yuki spent all day wondering where Tohru could be and if she was safe and alive. _Is she cold? Is she alone? Is she lost?_ His sensei noticed he was not focusing on his schoolwork lately.

"Sohma-kun, you haven't been focusing on your schoolwork lately," his sensei began one day. "Do you need to talk?"

Yuki shook his head. "I'm just worried about Honda-san…she's a good friend of the Sohma family, so her being kidnapped is…well, it's disturbing for us, quite frankly. I'm just worried about her safety….She's such a good friend to all of us, and to me, that I can't help but to be worried and to be wondering if she's safe or not…"

Naturally, the sensei understood then why it would be hard to focus. "Well, just stay focused on school, because I'm sure she wouldn't want you to be slipping with school. Just keep praying – I'm sure the police will find her soon."

Unfortunately, the police had no clues and were finding nothing. The police had been looking for any and all clues of her disappearance, but nothing was to be found. Scattered groceries and dirty ribbons wouldn't be of any help to them at all. The Sohmas couldn't ignore the questioning looks from Arisa Uotani or Saki Hanajima, who were Tohru's two best friends. The Sohmas found themselves obliged to tell both of them what had happened to Tohru. They both gave the Sohmas hopeful looks every day, wanting to see Tohru again, but the good news had yet to come. Tohru's grandfather had also been informed by now, and he was very worried for his dear granddaughter. Everyone was in sheer distress; nobody could do anything or say anything. Memories of Tohru lurked everywhere they went, and it was like living in a nightmare for all of them. Everyone was waiting for the day when they would hear news of her of perhaps even see her back in their lives again.

News of Tohru's disappearance had traveled throughout the school like a fast-spreading disease. Not that Tohru would ever know, of course, for she was in a mansion – one too far away to respond to such news.

* * *

Yuki walked home alone. He and Kyou went separate ways but came home at the same time. They hoped to see Tohru's bright face warming up the house, but each day was another disappointment. She had made the house feel so lively, and the house felt empty and lifeless without her life to light up their lives.

Yuki removed his shoes and made his upstairs quickly and quietly. He changed out of his school clothes and finished his homework. He spent the rest of that day simply lying on the bed. He didn't look forward to dinner because he had already gotten sick of always eating bentos. Kyou had simply gotten home, changed, and went to lurk on the roof. Shigure noticed both of the boys' behaviors and just sighed. He walked into Yuki's room and called him down for dinner.

At the dinner table, Shigure decided to talk to Yuki a little, seeing as Kyou was still sulking on the roof. _Perhaps it would relieve some pent up feelings_, he thought.

"Ne, Yuki, are you alright?"

"Oh yes, I am just splendid. Things couldn't be any better," Yuki replied sarcastically. He was using his chopsticks to poke at his food. He couldn't help but to miss Tohru's fresh, delicious cooking.

Shigure sighed. He had expected something like that for a response. "That's not what I meant. I mean, would you like you share your suspicions?"

Suspicions. That was a hate-filled word, but the name of his suspect was an even dirtier word to Yuki. Yuki didn't like the person he suspected – in fact, he wondered if anyone liked the person he suspected. "Who else do you know that likes to put us through hell except Akito?"

"Akito couldn't do it himself," Shigure reasoned. _I'm sure that he had Kureno do it, if it is him behind this madness. Kureno is his personal servant, after all. _"Besides, how would Akito pull off kidnapping her?"

Yuki had no idea, so he shrugged. He put his head in his hands and held back tears – he couldn't cry in front of anyone, especially not Shigure. "What if he has her raped or beaten or something horrible like that?" Yuki shuddered with the very thought. "What if she's just out there, lost and cold somewhere? What if she were screaming for help at this very moment? We're just sitting here, waiting for something!" Tears stung the back of Yuki's eyes. Still, he held his tears in and continued. "Akito….I want to kill Akito! He needs to stop ruining people's lives! Doesn't he realize that his style of "leadership" isn't going to get him anywhere!" Yuki slammed his fist on the table – he was just that angry.

Shigure was startled by Yuki's violent reaction, but he could understand the boy's pain. "Tohru-kun definitely captured all of our hearts with only a few kind words and her ever-optimistic personality," he agreed. "Why not lure the truth out of Akito and get him to admit that he's behind all of this? Maybe the others on the Sohma estate can keep a watch out for us and keep an eye on Akito."

Yuki and Shigure were in a thoughtful silence. Kyou climbed down from the roof and entered the discussion without a greeting. He had come down to eat his bento because he was hungry, and he had heard Yuki practically yelling. He sat down and began eating some of his bento. "Stupid idea. I don't think it's him," Kyou said laconically after he had swallowed a bite.

Shigure was stunned. "Ehhhh? Why not?"

Kyou was thoroughly angry as it was, and Shigure wasn't helping matters; he was in no mood to be explaining things in-depth. "Because even he feels that she's okay to have or something! He let her stay here, didn't he? Even he's been affected by her kindness and cheeriness." Kyou blushed slightly as he admitted this, though neither Yuki nor Shigure noticed this.

Yuki had to agree. "Yeah, that is true, but he's always looking for ways to torment us. This could be a perfect way to distress all of us…"

All of the Sohmas were upset over the disappearance of the same person, and they all wanted to confront whoever Tohru's kidnapper was. More importantly, they still had to find Tohru and bring her back – if she was still alive, that is. So how were they going to find her, and when would they begin to look for clues on their own? More importantly, how would they spy on Akito?

Missing Princess – Chapter 3: A Plausible Suspect / END

This is a rather lame chapter in my opinion. I deeply dislike it because hardly anything happened. I revealed too much in my original chapter 3, so I am tormenting people by lengthening it….I am evil like that! ) lol. However, I have to say that the chapter 4 that I have written half of is rather good. I am excited about it! This took me a few days to release because stuff has been going on in life, so I am going to finish up chapter 4 tonight if I can so I can put it up tomorrow because I will be gone to my cousin's wedding from Friday evening (the 15th) until Sunday night (the 17th). So, what d you think is going to happen? Any ideas on how to catch Akito?

Ja ne my wonderful readers! See you in the next chapter!

- ( Tohru-tan ) -


	4. Chapter 4: The Perfect Pawn

I got 15 reviews for chapter 3, my worst chapter! Yippee! I know that it disappointed many of you, but hopefully I'll regain lost interest and be just that much closer to moving the story into a new phase! Now, onto the review responses!

**Aria's Star** – Yes indeed! I didn't quite understand what you mean by "They need to read and think, not read and wait" but that's okay! Lol, she is a princess! XD

**Beckerkid-51** – Lol, I hope I get that A plus!

**CaliCallMePrincess** – No need for apologizing, I was just as disappointed in posting chapter 3 as much as you may have been for reading it. I wanted to put more drama but I threw it in chapter 4 instead! Yeah, Ha'ri will spy on Akito some since it'd be undoubtedly easy for him as Akito's doctor….Kureno will have his fair share in this story…Hmm, are you a Ha'rixTohru fan? I can throw some of that in if you like…..

**CallaRose** – Yeah, chapter 3 was more of just filler-ish type stuff, not so much of a "chapter." Akito is a man in my story I hadn't thought of Hana-chan's denpa waves but Tohru is definitely too far away for Hana-chan to pick up her denpa waves….

**Chiratsuku** – Thanks!

**Crazylovestory89** – Yeah I know chapter 3 wasn't all that thrilling. Izumi is the one who kidnapped Tohru – he works for Reiji. I didn't realize it still seemed fuzzy….sorry about that!

**Dark Resister** – Haha, I left you waiting! Oopsies!

**Inuyasha-kagome-forever99** – Thank you for reviewing! I'm glad you enjoy my story!

**Lizzie** – Yes. That's kind of what I meant! I guess not every chapter can move the story drastically further though I guess, so oh well…. Yes, I hope this chapter presses well into chapter 5! Thanks for reviewing!

**NLC** – Wow, you even enjoyed chapter 3! That makes me extremely happy!

**Pie Luving Hobo** – I take it that chapter 3 wasn't too thrilling but you wouldn't send the monkeys after me either….ahh well, your monkeys surely cannot kill me for this chapter!

**Sana ChiChi** – Haha, thank you!

**Togetheritsumo** – Hmm, well, chapter 3 is sort of "filler" I guess….But I'm glad you still liked it!

**Ultimate-Furuba-Freak** – Haha, I am doing my best to make it as interesting as possible! Nooooo! You shan't kill me! Yes, you'd be a fool to kill me! A FOOL! Lol. :hides from your machete anyways: Haha! What does FA stand for? Sorry, I am not entirely familiar with Fanfiction's acronyms….

**V.d.mouse** – Thanks! I did have a lovely weekend! Sorry for the late update!

Okay, well, this is going to hopefully be the last chapter where "the story doesn't move further" for some time. If it's not, I'm sorry, because I'm just the story writer….the story spins itself, I just write it!

Missing Princess

Chapter 4: The Perfect Pawn

Tohru lived her seven days as normally as she could. She enjoyed going out into the garden and visiting the animals – especially the horses – that were there. She kept herself content by exploring, since the maids – nor Reiji Aoe, the master himself – would allow Tohru to cook or clean, as she normally would do. She ate dinner with the Aoe family every night, so she got used to being in a very formal atmosphere. Everyone loved how polite she was – even a rich woman like Mrs. Aoe couldn't help but to appreciate the young girl. Despite being new to the mansion and missing the Sohmas, she made two new friends to ease her loneliness.

Her first friend's name was Mitsuo Aoe, and he was the younger son of the "Master." He was a good companion for Tohru, for he was soft-spoken and gentle and yet very intelligent and skilled. Not only that, but he was handsome, too. He had blonde hair like his mother and piercing green eyes like his father. He was fair-skinned and skinny but still very muscular and strong. He was only about 17. You could say he was the Yuki of the Aoe family, though not as badly treated and with a very happy childhood. He was always cheery and nice to everyone, especially since Tohru had come to live with them.

Tohru's second friend in the mansion was Mikuni Aoe, Reiji's older son, who was 19. He had his father's dark, black hair, though his eyes were gray. He was more outgoing and athletic, so he was strong and muscular as well, though it was more noticeable in Mikuni than in Mitsuo. At the same time, he was very gentle and very funny. He taught Tohru a bit of martial arts, getting the chance to become closer to her and showing her how to do the moves properly. Though Tohru did horribly, she didn't mind.

Tohru never even wondered why Mikuni always liked to correct her positions by simply standing behind her and moving her arms into the correct stance. She also never noticed how Mitsuo always seemed to enjoy sitting closer to her to help her study rather than to be across a table. Our naïve protagonist was always thinking about the Sohmas and was oblivious to the fact that both Mitsuo and Mikuni were becoming attached to Tohru. _Kyou-kun would love to train with Mikuni-kun! Yuki-kun would love to share his knowledge with Mitsuo-kun! Shigure-san would love to read some of these books!_ Only thoughts like those filled Tohru's innocent mind.

* * *

The next morning, Yuki awoke from his unpleasant slumber, as always. He brushed his teeth and sauntered downstairs. He went to go grab some cereal from the kitchen and paused as Shigure walked by.

"Ahh, good morning, Yuki-kun! I was just about to call Haa-san! He's closest to Akito since he's Akito's doctor, so he's going to be our spy!"

_He must have thought all this out in the morning while I was asleep!_ However, Yuki was skeptical of having Hatori be their spy. "How do you know Hatori-san will do our job?"

"Because he cares about Tohru too! It's not like spying a bit is going to change anything; we're just asking him to be a little more observant in his daily life around Akito!"

Yuki sighed and just nodded. "Well, do as you want. Go ahead and call him, then."

Shigure smiled and picked up the phone, dialing Hatori's number. The phone rang a few times before Hatori picked up.

"Good morning, this is Dr. Hatori Sohma speaking," Hatori said in his usual bored, monotone voice.

"Hi Haa-san! Yuki-kun and I were wondering if you would do us a favor!" Shigure was practically dancing with excitement.

"Favor?" Hatori cocked an eyebrow and wondered what Shigure meant.

"Yeah, yeah! A favor! Yuki-kun and I think that maybe Akito kidnapped Tohru-kun with Kureno's help! Kureno is his lackey, after all, and nobody ever sees Kureno much to begin with, so nobody would suspect him easily. However, Akito is the only one we know that would want to torment us, and who else knows that there would be a house –my house, of course – out here in the middle of a forest?"

"Hmm," Hatori said thoughtfully. He didn't want to meddle in such pointless affairs, but he hadn't paid much attention to Akito lately. A bit of spying wouldn't do harm, and if it put them one step closer to possibly finding Tohru, then why would he refuse to do it?

"Come on, Haa-san," Shigure pleaded, "do it for our little flower!"

"Alright," Hatori answered at last. "I'll do just an extra bit of observing."

"Yay!" Shigure danced with joy. "Say, have you got a soft spot for Tohru-kun?" Shigure added deviously. Hatori's silence was answer enough for Shigure to interpret something. "So you **_do_** like her!"

"Are you done babbling your nonsense?" It was true that Tohru reminded Hatori a lot about Kana, but he wanted to protect her from Akito. He'd never forget Kana, and he'd never be able to love anyone again the way he had loved Kana. He wanted to protect Tohru so she could continue to heal all of them. Kana had healed Hatori and made him live everyday as if it was an eternal spring. Of course, ever since he had erased her memories, every day was just another painful winter storm that swirled mercilessly inside of him, but Tohru was bringing spring back into the family. Even he was experiencing just a little bit of spring again, so he would try to help Tohru any way he could.

Shigure nodded, though Hatori couldn't see that. "Thanks Haa-san. We owe you one." He hung up and flashed two thumbs up at Yuki. Yuki smiled slightly for the first time in days. Would their efforts remain fruitless, or would they bear fruit – and good news – soon?

* * *

Tohru had a purpose for being at the Aoe mansion – she wasn't simply some kind of a playmate for Mitsuo or Mikuni. Over her seven days there, Izumi had been taking photos of her without her noticing. _She is a very pretty girl and rather nice, too_ he admitted to himself as he headed over with the photos to see the master of the mansion.

"Ahh, you're here, Izumi-kun. Good, good, have a seat!" Reiji didn't bother to get up from his seat; instead, he waved to one of the well-cushioned chairs for Izumi to sit in.

"Thank you, Master." Izumi sunk into the rich-red chair gladly. He jumped into their meeting quickly and fired a question at Reiji almost immediately. "So, I have kidnapped this girl, been taking photos of this girl, and catering to her as if I were her servant. I'd like to know why I've been doing all this…"

Reiji had seen this coming. "I'll tell you why I've had her kidnapped and why you've been catering to her. It will help you with your next mission, anyways. Because of a prophecy, she is supposed to be a good wife for Mitsuo. She'd also be good luck to Mikuni if he married her. However, that could matter less to me. I am the owner of a large, wealthy business that needs no luck to run well, and we certainly don't need any money. My sons are more than capable of finding smarter, more beautiful girls. She's just a **_pawn_**." Reiji put much emphasis on the word pawn. Izumi, of course, was definitely interested. Reiji smiled and continued. "She holds importance to a rich family – the Sohma family. They have plenty of land that I'm sure they would be willing to…oh, how should I put it…,"he pondered and then smiled evilly, "that they would be willing to…_.share_…if you get my drift."

Izumi obviously got the point and laughed. "Oh, wow, an ingenious plan! Very good, Master!"

"There is something most definitely rewarding for you in it as well if you should be successful in helping me with this whole plan. Now, Izumi, come closer, and I will tell you what you are to do tonight." The fire crackled in the private room as Reiji gave his instructions to Izumi. "You are to select one picture you took of Tohru from each of the seven days." He pulled out the letter Tohru had written from his pocket and waved it in his hand. "This is a letter she wrote. It's safe to say that there is nothing but gibberish in this letter, so you can send this to the Sohmas. She made things easy for us by addressing an envelope to them. All you have to do is put the pictures, her letter, and my letter inside this large envelope and drop it off personally to the Sohmas." He smiled and looked at Izumi, who gave him a small, understanding nod. "Take care that not one of them – nor anyone else, for that matter – sees you." He explained everything that the letter he wrote had in it. The letter was basically a threat on their poor little princess – she was a pawn and a key element in blackmailing the Sohmas for land in exchange for her life.

Izumi's eyes twinkled with delight. "This is going to be fun….ne?"

"Just go when the dark of the night calls to you. Good luck." With that, Reiji flashed Izumi a smile and left the room, leaving Izumi with his supplies and a mission to complete. Unfortunately for the both of them, the Aoe family members would only complicate their plans. Tohru, who was a mere pawn to Reiji in this plan, was going to be put in a very dangerous, complex position. Would she live to see the Sohmas or die of shame from being shoved into the deathly business of the Reiji's?

Missing Princess – Chapter 4: The Perfect Pawn / END

Hmm, yes, as you can see, she's a princess in both families! She's only treated like one amongst the Aoe family and valued as one in the Sohma family. That's one reason why the story is called "Missing Princess." Nonetheless, I think the story is turning out well, wouldn't you agree? A copy of the letter is going to be in chapter 5 – that's how you'll find out what the threat to Tohru is and what kind of business Reiji owns. Well, see you in chapter 5, which is coming out much sooner than this chapter!

- ( Tohru-tan ) -


	5. Chapter 5: The Sounding of the Bells

DISCLAIMER: Fruits Basket is the property of Natsuki Takaya. I am just a hopeless fan who is using her work to weave a story! I do own Izumi and the Aoe family, though. Well, I still have nothing but oh well….

Wow, the summer heat makes me incredibly lazy! It's been so hot lately and band camp approaches ever nearer, so I'm scared! I might update less often when I have band camp and school, but I will try to maintain this twice-a-week-ish thing we have going right now!

**Aria's Star** – Waii, you're so considerate! –Adores you-

**B.C. Company** – Nice new pen name! Wow, thank you! I'm honored that you enjoy my story!

**CaliCallMePrincess** – Wow, your review was so long! Thanks for your input! Would you mind emailing me? I wanted to email you about it but your email doesn't show up, so I couldn't! Mine is viewable, but mine is AnnieJalota at gmail dot com. I hope I get an email from you soon!

**CallaRose** – Yeah, Mitsuo and Mikuni don't know why Tohru is there. They do like her, but because they don't really know that she might be gone or anything they don't see a need to protect her. My note right before the chapter might help to clear things up – let me know if it helped!

**Chiratsuku** – Oh yes, Akii is going to be one angry guy when he finds out about this whole ordeal!

**Crazylovestory89** – Haha, his sons don't know yet! But imagine what they'd do…especially since they're becoming attached to her….Thanks for reviewing!

**Pie Luving Hobo** – Haha, you've got one wacky imagination! Ha'ri wearing spy clothes….that'd kind of be odd for him, trying to act normal and wearing spy clothes with all sorts of neat gadgets…lol. The last chapter was unimportant, so it's alright! I think I will start doing summaries though, in case my dull chapters aren't imprinted in people's minds…lol.

**Sana ChiChi** – Haha! Well, Mitsuo and Mikuni may make a move and they might not! That's for you to find out!

**Togetheritsumo** – Thanks! Thanks for reviewing, too!

**Ultimate-Furuba-Freak** – Wow…a floccinaucinihilipilification ….I don't know if I even spelled that right! I have no idea how one would pronounce that word – tell me how to pronounce it! I wouldn't want to be called worthless and not know it! Lol. AHHH! YOU CANNOT KILL A FAVORITE AUTHOR OF YOURS WITH YOUR KATAKA! –Hides from you-

Okay, it seems there are some people who are confused as to who Tohru is with; she's with the kidnapper's family. I didn't bother explaining the Aoe family much because they're not so important. If you'd prefer that I do, let me know in your reviews and I can extend on them in future chapters! Basically Tohru is with her kidnappers, the Aoe family. She was kidnapped by a man named Izumi Takamiya, who works for Reiji, the "Master" of the house. Mitsuo and Mikuni are Reiji's two sons, and Reiji obviously has a wife (there's hardly any of her, so I was too lazy to name her; she's just going to be Mrs. Aoe). Reiji and Izumi are working together to blackmail the Sohmas using Tohru as bait. They want some of the Sohmas land. Basically, it's like one rich family competing against another; the Sohma family is richer. I don't really know what kind of business the Sohmas have, but I know that Reiji's business is fruitful, though it only gives wealth in the form of money as opposed to money _and_ land. Hope that kind of helps!

Oh yeah, I am including the last paragraph of the last chapter to help you guys remember what happened; if you would prefer chapter summaries instead of the last paragraph from now on, let me know in your reviews! I'm also going to be putting a disclaimer from now on because it looks like fun!

RECAP:

**Izumi's eyes twinkled with delight. "This is going to be fun….ne?"**

**"Just go when the dark of the night calls to you. Good luck." With that, Reiji flashed Izumi a smile and left the room, leaving Izumi with his supplies and a mission to complete. Unfortunately for the both of them, the Aoe family members would only complicate their plans. Tohru, who was a mere pawn to Reiji in this plan, was going to be put in a very dangerous, complex position. Would she live to see the Sohmas or die of shame from being shoved into the deathly business of the Reiji's?**

Missing Princess

Chapter 5: The Sounding of the Bells

Izumi double checked that he had everything. He looked at his watch and smiled; it was midnight, and surely by now the Sohmas would be asleep. He clambered down the stairs and made his way to the black car that was waiting for him outside. He stepped into it and the driver sped off, nearing the Sohmas house quickly. The car came up in front of the forest somewhat slowly so as to not wake anyone up. "I'll be back soon," Izumi said softly to the chauffeur. The car would wait in front of the forest while Izumi completed his mission.

Izumi tied his golden hair back in a ponytail and tied a black bandanna over his mouth and nose. Nobody would be able to recognize him if they saw him this way, though he would remain out of sight anyways. He strolled carefully through the forest under the light of the full moon. He made sure he didn't step on twigs or dry leaves so that he wouldn't wake anyone or anything up. He stopped in front of the Sohma house and wondered where he would put the letter He prowled around the house, and he saw a bedroom window open. _Perfect, I can just drop it in there!_ Slowly and carefully, he shot an arrow up onto the roof and climbed up soundlessly. He made his way over to the bedroom window and carefully pulled the letter out. He peeked into the bedroom and saw a gray-haired teen – Yuki, of course – fast asleep. _ Ahh, how unsuspecting of him!_

Izumi saw a desk near the boy's bed. He climbed in through the window and set the letter carefully and quietly on the desk. Yuki stirred in his sleep. Izumi crouched low in front of Yuki's bed, hoping the boy didn't wake up. When he was sure Yuki was still asleep, he crawled over to the side of Yuki's bed. He took a small, palm-sized object from his pocket and hid it underneath the bed.

Shigure hasn't really been sleeping and he heard a soft "plunk" sound on the roof. He peeked out of his window and gasped. A golden-haired man clambered quietly into Yuki's room. _ Is he a robber?_ Moments later, Izumi clambered out of the window and jumped off of the roof, landing on the grass soundlessly. Izumi looked around, making sure nobody had seen him; he didn't notice Shigure peeking from his window. He sighed a breath of relief, untied his bandanna, and walked back into the forest to his car. Shigure had seen Izumi's face, though he couldn't make out much since it was too dark where he was standing. Nonetheless, he made out that Izumi had blue eyes, golden hair, and was pale skinned. _He went in and came out too fast to have stolen anything, and he wasn't carrying a bag or anything, either. There is nothing valuable in Yuki's room, anyways…so what was he doing in Yuki's room?_ Shigure pondered a little bit before deciding to go back to sleep. If the man left anything, Yuki would be sure to inform them of it in the morning.

* * *

After waking up and putting on a knee-length yellow dress, Tohru decided to do some more exploring; the mansion was so big that she had been looking around the whole past week and she found new things every day! Tohru was walking around the hallways around noon when she bumped into Mitsuo. "Ohaiyo gozaimasu, Mitsuo-kun! Sorry for bumping into you!" Tohru had half-expected Mitsuo to transform into something, because that's what usually happened when she bumped into someone at home. She remembered that only the Sohmas transformed….the Sohmas….oh how she missed them….

"Ahh, ohaiyo Honda-san! Don't worry about it." He smiled kindly at her. "How does your head feel today?" As far as anyone except Izumi and Reiji knew, Tohru had been found unconscious. She had been hit in the head, and Izumi, Reiji's "business partner," brought her to the Aoe mansion "since it was the closest place he could think of." Thus, Izumi was a "hero" to the unsuspecting Aoes.

"My head…?" Tohru said, touching her head. "Oh! My head feels normal, like it always did!" She smiled sweetly at Mitsuo, and his heart melted. He even blushed a tiny bit.

"That's great to hear! Well, I have work to get back to, so I'll see you later!" _She smiled at me! Yes!_

"Ja ne!" Tohru merrily waved at him and continued exploring the house.

"Tohru-kun!" Mikuni called from across the hallway.

Tohru turned around. "Ohaiyo gozaimasu, Mikuni-kun! Do you need something?"

Mikuni ran up to her. "Would you like to try horseback riding with me today? I can teach you how if you like!"

Tohru considered the thought for a moment. "But I'm afraid to ride by myself!"

"I can ride with you, if you like! You can sit in front of me!"

Tohru was excited because she'd never ridden a horse before. "Could I really? Yay!"

Mikuni was happy. "Let's go, then!" He grabbed her hand and ran off to the stables with Tohru trailing behind. He picked a beautiful horse that was white and was the gentlest horse in the stables. For the rest of the afternoon, Mikuni rode around, teaching Tohru how to do some things and letting her try them. Mitsuo stared at him from the window, and Mikuni noticed and laughed. Mitsuo pulled off his glasses and stared angrily at him for being so close to Tohru; of course, Mikuni hugged her and just leaned his head on top of hers, smirking. _I'm going to win her heart before you do!_

Mitsuo nearly snorted and gave him a look back, sticking his tongue out at him. _ As if! _

Tohru wondered why Mikuni was hugging her and was leaning on her. She blushed a little bit from his embrace. "Um…ano…Mikuni-kun, are you tired?"

After flashing a victory sign at Mitsuo, Mikuni brought the horse to a stop. "Not really, but we can stop riding. That's enough for today, I think." He smiled and jumped off the horse. He patted the gentle creature before lifting Tohru off of it.

Tohru patted and stroked the horse appreciatively and gave it an apple. "Thanks for riding with me, Mikuni-kun! I learned a lot today! Maybe tomorrow I'll be able to ride by myself! I'll go back to my room now to rest, okay? Ja ne!" Mikuni smiled at her and bid her farewell before she pranced off happily to her room. Mitsuo stopped her as she was walking by.

"Ah, Honda-san!"

"Oh, konbon wa, Mitsuo-kun!"

"Konbon wa! I was wondering if you would like to hang out with me tomorrow, since I have nothing to do on Fridays!"

_Date!_ Tohru wondered. Tohru blushed a little. It was written on her face that she thought he was sort of asking her on a date.

Mitsuo, of course, flushed – he had intended for it to be like a date. "It-it's not like a date! Just hanging out together as friends!" He added when he saw her expression. He didn't care if he lied –he just wanted her to say yes so he could rub it in Mikuni's face.

"Alright, I will spend tomorrow with you, then!" Tohru was oblivious to the fact that Mitsuo had flushed deeply. She wondered what she would do tomorrow with Mitsuo. _Oh well, I will have to figure out some other way to get home….maybe Mitsuo-kun and Mikuni-kun will help me! I will ask them tomorrow! Good night, Okaa-san! _With that, Tohru was lulled into a deep, peaceful sleep.

* * *

(Before anyone gets confused, this is the morning after the night Izumi put the letter in Yuki's room – what you read was Tohru's day, now we're going to look at the Sohmas' day!)

Morning came, and the sun shined brightly through Yuki's bedroom window. He opened his eyes slowly and sat up, rubbing his eyes. He threw the bed sheets to the end of the bed and swung over to the side. He was just about to get up when he noticed a letter on the desk.

Walking over to his desk, Yuki picked the letter up, wondering how it had gotten there; he certainly didn't remember putting it there. Picking it up, he saw that it was addressed to the Sohmas….he nearly dropped the letter when he realized whose handwriting it was in. _Tohru! Tohru wrote this! I'd never forget to open it if she wrote it! How did it get here! Surely she didn't put it here herself! _Yuki carefully opened the letter. He sat down in his chair, put the contents of the letter on the desk, and read Tohru's letter first.

He put down her letter when he had finished reading it and thought about everything she had said. _She is obviously somewhere with a wealthy person, but it doesn't seem like she knows she has been kidnapped!_ Yuki looked at the rest of the contents of the letter and picked them up gingerly.He was horrified to see the seven pictures. _What on earth! Why is she dressed so elegantly! Well….she's adorable…_ He flushed when he thought of that. _ What am I thinking! Why are there pictures in this letter, anyways? _ He decided to read the other letter in the envelope, hoping it wasn't from Tohru. He hoped that this other letter would explain something about her kidnapping. Yuki read the letter with wide eyes:

_Dear Sohmas,_

_Hello there! Nice to meet you. My name is Reiji Aoe. You might be wondering why you have this letter and how it got into one of your rooms. I can assure you nothing was stolen; my servant Izumi just placed this letter somewhere in your house. I don't fear telling you my name because the life of your little **princess** is probably worth more to you. _

_You might be wondering where your little princess is and if she's alright. I can assure you she is perfectly healthy and happy…**but she won't be if you deny my request**. My pictures should be proof enough that she is alive and well. As members of the Sohma family, I am sure you know that you have **quite** a bit of land. I'm requesting that in exchange for the lands beyond the mountains and the mountains themselves in your little onsen resort, you can have yourprincess back._

_You might think that you can kidnap her from me, but I'm afraid that it's completely impossible to know where I live. If you reject my request and don't comply to my wishes, then you can just say goodbye to your princess – **permanently**. There are plenty of open spots for female prostitutes in my date club, and I'm sure that some of our customers will be happy to – oh, how should I say this – **break her in**. If, however, you do want your little princess back, then put one flag for every zodiac member on the roof of your house and the Sohma estate. One flag stands for one person who agrees to exchange the land for Tohru. You will need a flag for the cat and Akito, as well. You can't just put flags up for anyone, either. I assure you that I will know if someone's flag was put up against their wishes. I will need to see at least 12 of 14 flags up there, and one of then will have to be Akito's. The colors need to match the color of the smoke that you guys have when you transform. _

_Shigure, for example, would have a blue flag up. Yuki would have a pink or a purple flag, and Kyou would have an orange flag. The rest I'm sure you know. 12 flags need to be up in one week's time. If all goes well, I will send you another letter. Good day._

_Signed,_

_Reiji Aoe_

Yuki was shaking with anger and fear when he put the letter down. She was bait! Some rich family was using her as bait! Yuki collected everything and ran downstairs to show Shigure and Kyou. _The rest of the family needs to be informed of this letter today itself!_

_

* * *

_

Hatori acted as if nothing out of the ordinary was happening. He observed Akito closely, and he drifted away into thoughts while being bent over his work. Akito walked by, and Hatori gave him a scrutinizing stare.

Akito felt the stare, even though he had his back turned to Hatori. "Why are you shooting daggers at me, Hatori? Why do you have to stare at me? Just do your work, it's not like I **_bothered you_** or anything!" Akito got upset with Hatori and stormed outside to go sunbathe on the porch in front of his room.

_I wonder if he's really behind Tohru's kidnapping,_ Hatori wondered. _ It doesn't seem like he's trying to sneer at us and rub his victory in our face. He's not even acting unusually….oh well…._

Missing Princess – Chapter 5: The Sounding of the Bells / END

Oho! It turned out to be an okay chapter….In chapter 6, you will find out how Shigure, Kyou, and the others reacted to the letter. I might put that out soon if I get the initiative to write….the summer heat really kills me! -Whines- Oh yeah, this chapter is called The Sounding of the Bells because it's the chapter where Shigure and Yuki figure something out that has to do with Tohru. It's also the declaration of war between Mitsuo and Mikuni! Mwahahahaha! I am rather strange….Somebody tell me how the story is going – is everyone liking it? Am I moving way too slow? Should I spice things up more than I am already trying to do? I appreciate everyone's input! See you in chapter 6!

Oh yes, before I forget, I try to have at least 10 people review before I put up another chapter….so you have been warned! Lol.

Ja ne!

- ( Tohru-tan ) -


	6. Chapter 6: The Discussion Begins

DISCLAIMER: Fruits Basket is the property of Natsuki Takaya. I put together something because her fanatical ideas have infected me and inspired me to write! I do own Izumi and the Aoe family, though. And the stilly metal bug things that crawl all over the place…..

Sorry for the late update my lovely reviewers! I got a total of 20 – yes, 20! – reviews and I have to say I am quite pleased!

**Aria's star** – Haha, Reiji is – notably, of course – a male! Hmm, I think long-time torture and punishment is a much more painful consequence than death. Death is an escape, so she'd have it easy if she just died. On the other hand, having her alive but her location being unknown is a _far _worse punishment for both parties, no? Oh, you'll find out how he knows about everything soon enough! Spying was part of it though, yes….Did chapter 5 upset you that much? – Curious –

**B.C. Company** – Haha, I am happy to know that you're eager to read my story! Thanks for all your support so far – it really means a lot to me!

**CaliCallMePrincess** – Sorry for not updating fast enough! Lol, your email address didn't show up!

**Chiratsuku** – Haha, yes, Reiji is evil – I _planned_ for him to be evil! Lol. My goal is to always update soon!

**Dolphin77 – **Haha, yes, Mitsuo and Mikuni are definitely competing against each other and crushing on Tohru! Ahh, you're the only person thus far who supports any relationship at all – perhaps I might make it a Yukiru fic just for you! There are so many Yukiru fics out there that I hope I can make mine different and unique…Thank you, I will do my best at band camp! I will always try to update when I can

**Evilalternateendingstorywriter** – Haha, okay!

**EvilMicella** – Gahhh! It's like my sensei visiting my humble home! –Makes you sit in a chair – Wow, my own revered author visiting _my_ story! Eeek! I'm so happy! Wow, you're interested in my story! I'm so deeply honored! I don't really know, I have four couplings to choose from, maybe I should do a poll. There is only one person who wants a coupling at all and they want this to be a Yukiru fic. However, the coupling has yet to be decided, so I leave it in the hands of the reviewers! I can play with everything and twist this story however much I need to, so I have the power to decide who the champion of Tohru's heart is! Thank you so very, very much for reviewing!

**Inuyasha-kagome-forever99** – Thank you!

**Kimster44** – Wow, thanks for both of your reviews! I see you are craving for many more chapters….lol.

**Kyo-obsessedru2** – Wow! She referred me to you! –Cries tears of joy- Haha, floccinaucinihilipilification is a neat word. You must teach me how to pronounce it! I can't even say it…so I've got difficulty spelling it, and I don't like to have difficulty spelling words when I am a SPELLING CHAMPION! Lol. Well, you find out what everyone thinks in this chapter! –Stares at you wile you bang your head on the screen- Chapter 6 is there….now…so you can come back to life….! Goodness! You BOTH want to KILL ME! NOOO! Wow, I'm so touched to be your favorite author and the author of your favorite story! –Hugs you-

**Pie Luving Hobo** – I think what you had tried to say got cut off or something, but ah well. Yes, smoke and flags!

**Sana Chichi** – Thanks! It's okay if you don't like Mitsuo or Mikuni, they're both still really nice! Perhaps you will like them better later!

**Seni Kiffu** – Thank you so much! You flatter me! I hope this chapter continues to interest you in my story!

**Some one** – Thanks! Welcome to the little crowd of my reviewers! I hope that you enjoy reading my story and I hope to see you in another review! Thanks for your support!

**Togetheritsumo** – Haha, Reiji is now despised by all of the fans of my story! I don't quite know how Akito can be convinced, but I have a very vague idea on how that can be arranged for….lol, it is most definitely going to be **extremely** hard…..

**v.d. mouse** – Thanks! -Cheers-

**xXChocaholicXx** – Haha, mind powers! Nails? NOOOO! Anything but nails! Lol, I guess I've got it much better off than you do, Jay-san! Do you want me to call you Jay-san or xXChocaholicXx? Thanks for reading all 5 chapters!

Just to let you guys know, I really appreciate those of you who send me fun reviews or actually even email me your input – I do use your ideas, I promise! Nothing is useless, so for those of you who email me or would like to but are afraid to: you make me really happy and help me out a great deal with chapter ideas, so NEVER hesitate! Oh yes, I corrected a typo or two in chapter 5, so if you get an alert thing for that, I apologize in advance! Now, onto the story – I tried to write a lot in compensation for not having time to write or update! Sorry once again for the very late update!

RECAP:

**Akito felt the stare, even though he had his back turned to Hatori. "Why are you shooting daggers at me, Hatori? Why do you have to stare at me? Just do your work, it's not like I _bothered you_ or anything!" Akito got upset with Hatori and stormed outside to go sunbathe on the porch in front of his room. **

**_I wonder if he's really behind Tohru's kidnapping,_ Hatori wondered. _ It doesn't seem like he's trying to sneer at us and rub his victory in our face. He's not even acting unusually….oh well…._ **

Missing Princess

Chapter 6: The Discussion Begins

Unfortunately, Shigure and Yuki and not had as good of a day as Tohru and Mikuni had. Yuki's heart was racing as he ran down the stairs. He was nervous and fearful – how would they get Akito, of all people, to put up a flag! "SHIGURE!"

Shigure was in the kitchen pouring himself a cup of coffee. "Ah, Yuki-kun! Ohaiyo!" He looked at the panicky expression on Yuki's face. _Hmm, so the man **did** leave or take something, it seems._ "Ne, Yuki, you look panicked. Sit down and talk to me." He sat down on a cushion and waited for Yuki to do the same.

Yuki sat down, and after a few moments of silence, he finally said, "Kyou needs to come down too. The whole family needs to be notified immediately! It's…..it's something about Honda-san!"

Kyou had just come down from the roof and he heard his name. "Are you talking about me!" he inquired angrily.

Shigure's eyes twinkled with a hidden laughter but he closed his eyes and pretended to look serious. "Kyou-kun, sit down; this is something serious. It has to deal with Tohru-kun."

Kyou was irritated as always, but it seemed important for him to hear news of Tohru, so he sat down at the table with Yuki and Shigure. Shigure looked at Yuki as a sign for him to inform them of what happened.

Yuki cleared his throat and took a deep breath. "I woke up this morning and saw this letter on my desk." Kyou snorted. Yuki ignored him and continued. "I noticed it and opened it. This envelope contains a letter from Tohru, 7 pictures of Tohru, and a letter from someone named…,"he checked the bottom of the letter, "Reiji Aoe." He showed the letter from Tohru to Shigure and Kyou first.

"We'll read her letter later, assuming she is safe and well," Shigure said quickly after scanning the first page of her letter. "Show us the pictures and the letter from this Reiji Aoe person." Yuki handed the pictures and the letter to Shigure. _Our cute, delicate flower all dressed up!_, he thought, smiling. He handed the pictures to Kyou and began reading Reiji's letter.

Kyou blushed when he saw the pictures. _She looks beautiful….ARGH! WHAT AM I THINKING!_ He shook his head as if to rid his mind of the thought and handed the pictures back to Yuki, who carefully put them back in the envelope with Tohru's letter.

Shigure's eyes widened in shock as he continued to read the letter, and he nearly squashed the letter out of anger when he finished it but refrained from doing so. He mournfully handed the letter to Kyou and turned to Yuki. "So we need flags, yes? Well, we have at least 3 already, that's for sure." Kyou handed the letter to Yuki, his hand shaking.

"Why does the bad stuff always happen to her, damn it!" He slammed his fist on the table. He gave them both a look that said "you-have-my-flag" and stormed off to the roof to think about what he had just read.

Shigure shook his head. "We'll need to call Haa-san and tell him to bring everyone over. But more importantly, how does Reiji know where we live? How does he even know about the zodiac curse?"

Yuki could only wonder how Reiji knew. However, that was a matter for later. "We can ask him if he ever comes here. We might even find out in the next letter. But we only have one week, so right now, we need to worry about telling the rest of the family and figuring out how to convince Akito."

Shigure nodded and got up to call Hatori.

"Good morning, this is Dr. Hatori Sohma speaking," Hatori said, answering the phone in a monotone voice, as always.

"Haa-san!" Shigure yelped, a tone of urgency in his voice. "Gather the whole family and bring them over to my house! We need to have a discussion immediately! It's about Tohru-kun, we've got news about her! This is serious!"

Hatori would ask the questions when he got there. "Got it, see you soon." He hung up and quickly gathered the other 9 zodiac members, and they got into two cars and headed over to Shigure's house.

"Yay, we're going to Shii-chan's house!" Momiji squealed happily. Haru stared out of the window beside Momiji. He looked bored and was simply staring out into space.

Kagura, who was on Momiji's left, looked fairly pleased. "Kyouuuu-kun! Wait for me, my love! I'm coming!" She screamed it out even though Kyou was certainly not in the car or anywhere nearby, for that matter.

As if the members in the car already weren't troublesome enough, Ayame sat in the front seat next to Hatori, going on and on about his latest creation at his shop. Hatori let out an irritated sigh and wished Ayame would shut up and embrace the seriousness of the situation, though Ayame seemed to ignore Hatori and was seemingly oblivious to the fact that Tohru's life could be in danger.

Ritsu, Kisa, Hiro, Kureno, Rin were all cooperating nicely in the other car, except Ritsu kept apologizing for taking up car space and such. Hiro looked annoyed and Kisa was consoling Ritsu. Rin sat quietly in the front and Kureno was driving.

Within 15 minutes the whole family was gathered inside Shigure's living room, and they were sitting on the floor in a big circle. News that Tohru had given were explained to everyone. Her pictures were passed around, and many of the Sohmas tittered that Tohru looked pretty, though that was hardly important at the moment. Shigure handed the letter to Hatori while the pictures were being passed around. He and Kureno read it together. Hatori finished and shook his head in disgust while Kureno looked confused.

"Tohru Honda….does she have a friend named Arisa Uotani?" he asked. Arisa, his girlfriend, had mentioned some very nice girl who was her friend. _If she's Arisa's friend, I'll vote to help her. She means a lot to me, and she's been sad since this girl was kidnapped, so anything to make her happy is fine by me._

Yuki nodded at his cousin, whom he had rarely seen. "Hai, Uotani-san is one of Tohru's two best friends. But how did you know?" Kureno blushed slightly and shook his head. Once Tohru's letter and the pictures were in the envelope, Hatori stood up.

He held Reiji's letter in his hand and read it aloud. When he finished, he said, "So, as you can see, Tohru's life is at stake. Should we forfeit the land he requests in exchange for her life? Or should we allow Tohru to helplessly be put into a date club where she will most certainly lose her chastity?"

"WE HAVE TO SAVE HER!" Momiji said energetically.

Kisa nodded. "We have to save Onee-san!" Everyone nodded in agreement.

"Alright then, everyone, we're going to vote unless anyone has any arguments they would like to state," Yuki said, stepping up next to Hatori.

Rin looked smug and raised her hand. Yuki raised an eyebrow at her. "What if I don't like her?"

"Then just think of it on a base of humane rights. Consider the act, not the life at stake," Hatori stated almost bitterly. Rin nodded.

"Any other objections?" Yuki asked quickly. Nobody had anything else to say. "Okay, if you agree to exchange the land for Tohru's life, raise your hand." Ayame, Haru, Hatori, Hiro, Kagura, Kisa, Momiji, Ritsu – and to much surprise, even Kureno and Rin –

raised their hands. Yuki gave Shigure a surprised look and nodded his head at everyone. "Okay then, that means that all 13 of us have voted to protect Tohru. We won't miss a bit of land, I'm sure."

"YAY! That means we can save Tohru now!" Momiji exclaimed.

"Not so fast, Momiji."

"Aww, Ha'ri, you stink! What is it now!"

"One of the flags that gets put up has to be Akito's."

"Yuki-kun and I can take care of ensuring that all the flags are made by tomorrow night," Shigure volunteered.

"I have plenty of cloth at the store, so I will make them!" Ayame offered. "Gure-san can help me make sure I get the colors and all right, ne, Gure-san?" Shigure nodded his head at Ayame.

"Well, the flags aren't a problem, then, but how to convince Akito?" Hatori pointed out. For a moment, the group sat in silence. "Unlike how we earlier suspected, it turns out Akito isn't behind this. Reiji Aoe is; it's a wonder Akito wasn't acting out of the ordinary."

Haru turned black from being so upset. He stood up angrily. "We'll just beat him up!"

"No way, they said they'd know if we forced Akito or just put up his flag!" Yuki countered.

Hiro made another suggestion. "Perhaps we should just lie to him."

Hatori sweat dropped. "Sorry Hiro, I don't think that will quite work, either."

"I can convince him!" Momiji said gleefully, hopping up and down excitedly.

"We may as well just present the problem to Akito first and see what he thinks. Then we can use our 7 days planning properly on how we can convince him," Shigure pointed out wittily.

Everyone nodded their heads in agreement. "Okay, I will explain the problem to Akito today and see what happens. You'll all know what he thinks tomorrow. Shigure and Yuki, I think you ought to accompany me."

Both Shigure and Yuki nodded their heads; as reluctant as he was to go see Akito, he realized that he would do anything to convince Akito to save Tohru. _Even if it means I have to go see Akito_, he thought confidently.

"The meeting is over. Everyone get back in the car." Hatori told Shigure he would pick both of them up around 5 PM, so they had an hour or so to get ready.

Immediately, Kagura ran over to Kyou. "Kyou-kun! I missed you!" Kagura said possessively to a half-choked Kyou. She had her arms around his neck and was unknowingly suffocating him.

"Get away from me you idiot!" Kyou gasped, struggling to pry himself free of her vicelike grip.

"Kyou-kun, I love you!"

"WELL I DON'T!" Kyou retorted angrily, prying her off of him. Kagura's eyes filled with tears.

"No way! You're going to marry me no matter what! YOU PROMISED!"

Kyou remembered how she had forced him into making that promise when they were younger. He said nothing and ran up to the roof, leaving everyone behind. _Stupid dolt, kidnapping Tohru for land. I'm going to beat him in a battle so he'll regret kidnapping her, the stupid idiot! And stupid Kagura, coming after me like always! I don't like her! I can't believe she can't get that through her head! _Kyou was relieved to know that there were already more than the 11 regular votes needed, but he knew that there was certainly no way that Akito would give his vote to save Tohru from Reiji. It would remain 13 against 1, regardless of any coercion.

Kagura filed into one of the cars sadly with everyone else. They drove home and Hatori went back to work, pretending that he had just been out for something for work. Luckily, it seemed that Akito hadn't noticed that they had even been gone.

Yuki and Shigure hurriedly changed into better clothes and tried to eat a little something before they left. They sat in silence for half an hour, waiting for Hatori to come pick them up.

* * *

All while the meeting had been going on, the small object that Izumi had hidden beneath Yuki's bed whirred to life. Izumi began controlling it from the Aoe mansion. The small thing looked like a metal bug. It slowly made its way into every room in the house, and in each room it paused underneath something – a table, a bed, a cabinet – anything. The bug even planted things on all of the shirts and pants it could find. Of course, this palm-Spy Bug had a camera on it, so Izumi could see what should have the strange smaller objects implanted on it. What the unsuspecting Sohmas didn't know is that a small video camera and a highly-sensitive microphone were being placed in every room of their house. They were water-proof and very difficult to break, so if clothes were washed or if the bugs were stepped on, they would not be broken and fail to serve their purpose. They looked like mini-bugs and were clear, so they were highly unnoticeable. Moreover, they were smaller than a dime when put together, so they were almost impossible to notice.

Of course, Akito was at the Sohma estate, so the Sohmas could talk in peace there, at least, right? Wrong. An identical palm-sized bug had been planted in the Sohma estate and it, too, took the chance to plant the cameras and microphones around the house while Akito was asleep. The house was vacant, and none of the servants took notice of the small thing creeping all around the house. Not only were there cameras everywhere, but now the Sohmas had no way of keeping ANYTHING private, let alone their discussions with Akito. Naturally, these bugs would prove very useful to Reiji and Izumi for spying and gathering more information on all of the Sohmas.

Reiji came into Izumi's room for a mere moment. "Have the mini-Spy Bugs been planted?"

"I just finished doing that. Neither place will hold any more secrets whatsoever."

"Excellent." Reiji flashed a smile at Izumi and casually left the room.

Now, the real battle began. The battle to coerce Akito and to somehow keep their actions a secret would have to be done skillfully and somewhere in private. Of course, the Sohmas would only guess that their homes were being watched – they'd never guess that even their clothes were a threat to their need for privacy. This is a battle between unsuspecting Sohmas and intelligent, unsuspecting greedy blackmailers. Who shall triumph?

Missing Princess – Chapter 6: The Discussion Begins / END

Wow, I have been SO obsessed with Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince lately! Goodness…anyways, I thought of making this chapter longer but I figured the dialogue was enough. Crummy chapter? Somewhat boring? Perhaps. But it's essential…The next chapter will feature Mitsuo's date with Tohru, and I promise, it'll be as funny as I can make it! There might be a bit of convincing Akii in it if it fits….maybe I should write a bunch of chapters at once….oh, but I'm too lazy….why can't it just be on the computer as I think it? XD Just so you know, I made up that cheesy Mini-Spy Bug thing. It's crappy, but what should I have called it? SpyBot 2000? Lol. Also, I don't know the name of the city that the Sohmas live in, so if anyone knows, PLEASE tell me! Well, this is the "dialogue" people wanted, so I hope this satisfies the need to know what happens until the next chapter…..THE DATE! Lol.

Oh yes, a poll! What pairing should I have for the overall story?

1. Yuki x Tohru

2. Kyou x Tohru

3. Mitsuo x Tohru

4. Mikuni x Tohru

Please vote!

Ja ne!

- ( Tohru-tan ) -


	7. Chapter 7: A Date and Much Befuddlement

DISCLAIMER: Natsuki Takaya wouldn't write fan fictions on here, but I do! –Does a lame happy dance-

Two whole painful, tiring weeks and 27 reviews later, I have to say that I am incredibly sorry for the extremely late update! Band camp is incredibly hard and time consuming and wears me out every day, so I never had the chance to write during the week. Yesterday I had to go somewhere, so I am wrote this all today and getting this out to you. I know it might not be a favorite chapter or anything, but this is the "date" Tohru promised to have with Mitsuo, so hopefully, you will find this to be an amusing chapter. First of all, my 27 review responses…..

**Al Bhed Tears** – Oooh, another Yukiru fan! Thanks for reading and reviewing and voting!

**Aria's Star** – Yeah, I felt rather strange writing it out that way, but it's certainly a unique idea! Lol. It is an outrage, they have no privacy left whatsoever and they don't even know it! No, the base isn't covered, but all their clothes are bugged so it wouldn't matter. They don't know where she is, that's why they haven't already rescued her! Hmm….well, I might not forfeit the land, but there is a chance I might. You'll just have to continue reading and find out! – Smiles triumphantly – Thanks for reviewing!

**BakaSchalaNekoChan** – Ah, another vote for Kyoru! I wonder if this will be a Yukiru or a Kyoru, it's so close! It shows up as a Yukiru? Really? I haven't picked a pairing yet….strange….

**B.C. Company** – Haha, another vote for a Yukiru turnout! Thanks for voting! Reply to my email if you still need help putting up the new story!

**Black Rose of Wilmington** – Haha, she'll end up safe and sound….but how? That is the suspense! Lol. She might not ever go back to the Sohmas or she might!

**CaliCallMePrincess** – Haha, well, sucks for Kagura then! Thanks for voting!

**CelestialOrison** – Ah, thank you! I hope you enjoyed it all up to chapter 6, and I hope you like this chapter as well! Thank you!

**Crazylovestory89** – Ah, a very good question! They will eventually find out….and let me tell you, it'll be devastating! Hmm, they may help her escape or they may not! It's a choice I have yet to make! Yukiru is winning right now…Haha!

**Dark Resister** – Awww, Mitsuo loves you for saying that! Yeah, he's such a cute, noble guy! – Hugs Mitsuo – Haha, too bad a majority of the people want this to be a Yukiru or a Kyoru! Yuki is brave….so he's kind of deserving. Lol, yeah, Kyou is being his usual irritated self…

**Dose it matter?** – Well, hello there! You name does matter, it's important! Nonetheless, thank you very much for reviewing. I sincerely hope you will continue to read and review my story! Thank you for voting!

**EvilMicella** – Yay! My sensei likes my story! -Hugs- Haha, I hardly know how to make Akito agree myself. I'm still thinking about how I can do that…because Akito is really stubborn and I don't want to make it fluffy or something….Oh yes, when Reiji wants something he will go to any cost to ensure things go his way! Haha, Haru's plan is indeed a fun plan. Unfortunately, it's not going to happen…although it'd be quite interesting if it did….Thanks for voting, by the way!

**Fire Divine** – Haha, well, this chapter is suggestive of Mitsuo and Tohru, but is there any preference you have for who Tohru ends up with in the long run?

**Fruba fan** – Thanks for enjoying my story! Thanks for voting for Kyoru!

**Gina** – Waii, you're the only other person who voted for Mikuni! He's such a nice fellow...poor guy; he and his brother don't stand a chance compared to Yuki and Kyou! I do love him though….thanks for voting! – Cuddles Mikuni –

**Hikari Reizumi** – Ah, thanks for voting! Of course it matters if you sign in or not – it's important to know who you are or who you like to be known as! ) Thank you, sorry for the late update though!

**Ida** – Thanks for reviewing! Thanks for voting, that's one more vote for a Kyoru! Thank you so very much for your support, I truly appreciate it!

**Insert Name Here** – Ah, thanks for voting! Yeah, you don't know Mitsuo or Mikuni well enough, but the way I see them in my mind, they're very good people! Haha, Kyou-kun belongs to you! Imagine if the votes turn out to have this be a Kyoru… (I am still tabulating the votes!) Ahh, the Aoe's have been spying on the Sohma's! That's how they know!

**Jay-san** – Haha, Akito surely will get his bottom beaten….even Haru recommended it! – Laughs evilly –

**KagomeGirl21** – Thank you for voting! I think they make a cute couple as well! – Smiles happily – Wheee!

**Kimster44** – Oooh, what interesting taste you have! Ahh, excellent idea, I must say. Another Yukiru vote it is!

**Kisa Sohma** – Thank you for voting!

**Kyo-obsessedru2** – Haha, I'm so happy you liked my chapter! – Hugs – Haha, she's still asleep and you're just evil….just kidding! – Winks – Thank you, I do hope to become a better writer as time goes on! Haha, if you died from waiting for chapter 6 I shudder to think what happened while you waited for this chapter…..Ah ha! So THAT'S how you pronounce that mouthful of a word! Thank you for teaching me that! It is indeed a fun word…. – Scared because she is now being haunted by you – AHHH!

**Lillian** – Sorry for not putting this up fast enough! – Sniffles – Thank you for enjoying my story, I hope I don't disappoint! Thank you for voting!

**Peach-kun** – Ah, thank you so very much! –Bows – Your vote for Yukiru has been cast! Haha, you didn't already say it, but thank you for loving my story!

**Person** – You reviewed right when I posted this chapter, so this chapter has been edited to fit your review! Ahh, poor Mitsuo and Mikuni…lol. Well, Yuki or Kyou it shall be! Thanks for supporting me! I truly appreciate it!

**Sakky-chan** – Ah! Thank you! Two options for you, eh? I love Mikuni, he's really nice! I just wish I could draw a picture of him and show you, but my drawing skills are far beyond that level…. – Cries – Ahh, your opinion is very important! Thank you for supporting me!

**Ultimate-Furuba-Freak** – Haha, after this wait I think that the machete is coming back! Wow, you love me _and_ my story! I'm so happy! – Cries tears of joy – Ahhh, so you know how to say it as well…..your buddy showed me how to say it too! Lol. It's certainly a strange word! Thanks for reviewing and voting!

**Yoshiru** – Thank you! I will surely consider writing more fics for this anime! I love Fruits Basket as it is, anyways! It's practically tied between Yukiru and Kyoru…. Oh, what am I going to do….lol. Thanks for voting!

Man, did that take forever or what! Lol. Now, here are the current poll results:

Current Poll Results:

Yuki x Tohru - 13

Kyou x Tohru - 9

Mitsuo x Tohru - 1

Mikuni x Tohru - 3

Tohru stays single - 1

So, the Yukiru fans and the Kyoru fans are more or less neck in neck. I feel bad for Mitsuo and Mikuni, since they won't stand a chance. Ahh well, they only get fluff, then! No courting for them!

RECAP:

**Now, the real battle began. The battle to coerce Akito and to somehow keep their actions a secret would have to be done skillfully and somewhere in private. Of course, the Sohmas would only guess that their homes were being watched – they'd never guess that even their clothes were a threat to their need for privacy. This is a battle between unsuspecting Sohmas and intelligent, unsuspecting greedy blackmailers. Who shall triumph?**

Missing Princess

Chapter 7: A Date and Much Befuddlement

Friday was here at last for Mitsuo. He woke up at the crack of dawn and got ready quickly. He tried to maintain a casual look, but he could hardly contain his excitement. _He_ had a date with _Tohru_. He shot many triumphant smiles at the still-sleeping Mikuni, who had slept with his door open. He went down to breakfast and couldn't stop smiling. His mother was already at the table eating breakfast, and she paused to look at him. He was wearing khaki capris and a shiny, dark blue, silk shirt that was short-sleeved. Admittedly, he looked handsome, but he still looked somewhat casual. "Ne, Mitsuo, why are you….dressed up? You look like you're going to go somewhere somewhat special!" Mrs. Aoe asked, laughing.

Mitsuo was shoveling down his breakfast, but he paused to wink at his mother through a mouthful of food.

Tohru didn't seem to pick up on the "date" idea, so she woke up around 7 AM as always, treating this day just like any other normal day. There was an outfit already set out for her to wear. She put on the pretty, yellow dress that had light blue embroidery on it and had lots of sparkly, matching glitter all over the dress. The dress reached her knees, but it was very loose and comfortable, and there was a big bow that one of the servants helped her tie on the back. The bottom of the dress was deeply embroidered with blue and green designs and there was some glitter on it as well; the curved neck also had lots of embroidery and glitter. The sleeves went up to her elbows, and the ends of those were decorated as well. It was a pretty dress, and yet it was still very comfortable. Tohru searched for her yellow ribbons that Yuki had given her. _Hmm….where are they? I can't seem to find them anywhere…._ She sadly gave up hope on finding those and put some matching ribbons in her hair instead, which had been made to be worn with the dress. There was a simple jewelry set that she put on. The necklace looked very elegant on her slender neck, and the earrings dangled from her ears, catching the sunlight and matching her bright, bubbly personality. She slipped into yellow sandals with Velcro straps and set out to have her breakfast.

She saw Mitsuo shoveling down his food, and Mikuni entered the room, still in his pajamas. He yawned and sleepily waved good morning to everyone. "Ohaiyo gozaimasu, Mitsuo-kun, Mikuni-kun, Mrs. Aoe!" She sat down to eat and ate slowly and carefully. Mitsuo had finished and gazed dreamily at her. His chin rested on his hand, and his other arm was on the table; he looked very content with just staring at her. Mikuni snorted in disgust and poked him in the head with the back of his fork. Mitsuo slipped out of his bliss and stared angrily at Mikuni, who smirked with satisfaction.

"Tohru-kun, you look very pretty today, like always!" Mikuni said. Tohru flushed and politely thanked him. Mitsuo shot him an evil look, and Mikuni flashed him a gleeful smile. When Tohru finished, she went to go wash her hands, and Mitsuo escaped from Mikuni and followed Tohru.

"What would you like to do today, Tohru-kun?" Mitsuo asked, smiling.

Tohru looked thoughtful. "Hmm…are we allowed to go to a café or something? I feel like going outside somewhere!"

"I don't see why we couldn't."

"Alright, then let's go sightsee and walk around in the marketplace! I haven't ever been to this city before, but I would definitely like to look around here more."

"Sure, of course! Do you want to leave now?"

"Hmm….shouldn't we wait for Mikuni-kun?"

"Eh? Why?"

"Shouldn't he come with us?" Tohru wondered. _ Does Mitsuo-kun not like Mikuni-kun?_

"No, he's got other plans today. Come on, let's go." Mitsuo dragged her off to one of the cars, and they drove off to visit one of the most popular malls in the city.

Mikuni was getting ready quickly. He took a quick shower and put on tight black pants and a tight, cut sleeve black shirt that hugged his chest and flaunted his muscular upper body. He got into another car and followed Mitsuo and Tohru – the cars were all linked to each other, so the driver knew which car on the radar map on the small, built-in screen he was supposed to follow.

In the other car, Mitsuo started to converse with Tohru. "So, um, Tohru-kun, what high school do you go to?"

Tohru seemed a little taken aback by the random question. "Me? I am from Kaibara High school, and I go there with my friends Hana-chan, Uo-chan, and some of the Sohmas!"

"Oh….who are the Sohmas? Are they your family?"

Tohru shook her head. "They took me in after my mother died….I wasn't happy living with my Ojii-chan, so he let me live with the Sohmas…"

Mitsuo felt guilty for having touched a sad subject. "Oh…I'm sorry…"

Tohru smiled. "It's okay!" She peered out of the window to see the many shops and stands that were there. "Uwaaah! This place is so big!"

Mitsuo laughed. "Yeah, I think you'll like looking around here!" The car stopped in front of the mall, and Mitsuo stepped out. He helped Tohru out of the car like a gentleman. "Pick us up in 4 hours, okay?" The driver nodded and went back home.

Mitsuo strolled off into the mall with Tohru, and Mikuni's car pulled up in front of the mall. "Pick me up in 4 hours!" With that, Mikuni leaped out of the car and ran behind Mitsuo and Tohru, hiding behind bushes and poles along the way.

Tohru saw a store with pretty zodiac charms. They were very pretty and could be worn by a male or a female. "Waiii! These are so cute! I want to get one for everyone!" Mitsuo dragged her off into the shop, and she picked up one of every zodiac animal. She hoped the Sohmas would like them. Mitsuo paid for them, and Tohru blushed. "Ano….I'll pay you back when I get home….I don't have any money right now. Gomen nasai!"

Mitsuo smiled kindly at her and held her hand in his, bending down to kiss it. "Don't worry about it, princess."

Tohru flushed at his strange gesture, while Mikuni fumed with anger from behind a potted plant. "Hmm, I'm hungry, let's go eat, Tohru-kun!" Tohru nodded and walked next to him, still confused at why Mitsuo had called her princess. They stopped in front of a spaghetti shop and ordered one big plate of spaghetti. Tohru and Mitsuo ate from it together; it meant nothing to Tohru to be sharing the same plate, but it meant so much more to Mitsuo.

"You guys make a cute couple! Anyways, here are your drinks!" the waitress said, placing two large Cokes and the bill on the table. She walked off to go deliver more food to other people. Mitsuo flushed at her comment.

"Erm….Mitsuo-kun, that lady thought we were a couple…." She shook the thought from her mind and stuck another forkful of spaghetti in her mouth. Mitsuo did the same, and there happened to be one long string of spaghetti in his mouth that was also in hers. It was a classic Disney-type moment; their faces were close, and Mitsuo bit away the spaghetti that was in his mouth while Tohru slurped the string into her mouth, blushing.

He flushed and stiffened up. _Mitsuo, you're losing your cool! You've got to stay calm! That was an accident; we weren't going to kiss or anything! _He drank his cup of Coke, and he told Tohru he would be back in a minute. He was going to "freshen up" in the bathroom, and Tohru nodded.

Tohru stirred her Coke with her straw happily, her stomach full and her heart warm. She smiled. The potted tree next to her quivered and asked, "Hello there. Can you hear me?"

Tohru was taken aback and stared at the tree. "Trees can talk?"

"I can! Well, good, you can hear me. Let me tell you something, that guy is a no good pervert. Don't end up with him for good, alright?"

Tohru stared at the tree, confused. "What do you mean 'end up with him for good?' We're not dating….and I don't think he is a pervert, either, Mr. Tree-san…"

The tree quivered again. The tree was not alive – Mikuni was just behind it, making it move and "talking" for it. "Trust me, girl, you don't want to end up with that fellow. His brother – the strong, handsome one – would be a better one for you!"

Tohru stared at the tree, entirely confounded. "How do you know Mitsuo-kun and Mikuni-san so well, Mr. Tree-san?"

"Let's just say that I know them very well, okay?"

Mitsuo had calmed his nerves and saw Tohru talking to the tree. Mikuni planted a speaker on the tree and hid behind a different plant. "Tohru-kun, who are you talking to?"

Tohru smiled at the tree and said, "Okay, Mr. Tree-san! Oh, Hi Mitsuo-kun, I was just talking to this tree!" Mitsuo stared at her and sweat dropped.

"The t-tree?" he stammered. He scrutinized the tree and walked around it, finding nobody behind it. _ There's nobody here, and trees don't talk, so who was she talking to? _"Oh, well, let's go walk around, alright?"

Tohru nodded. "Well, ja ne, Mr. Tree-san!" She skipped off with Mitsuo.

"So, do you want to see a movie?" Tohru nodded gleefully and they walked off into the theatres, Mikuni tagging along behind them. They sat down, and Mikuni put on sunglasses and sat in a seat two rows behind them.

There was a big monster in the movie, and Tohru yelped and grabbed Mitsuo's arm for security. He blushed and put his arm around a trembling, flushed Tohru. "Hey, it's okay, this is just a movie!" he whispered reassuringly. Some popcorn hit him in the head. "Hey, what was that!" He removed his arm from around her shoulders and stared at the audience behind him. It was dark, and he couldn't see anyone with popcorn, but everyone's eyes were glued to the screen. He sighed and turned around back to Tohru.

He was going to put his arm around her once more, when more popcorn hit him in the head and someone said loudly, "DIRTY PERVERT!" The thrower – Mikuni, of course – ducked right after throwing the popcorn.

Mitsuo stood up and stared angrily into the darkness. "Whoever you are, stop throwing popcorn at me!" He sat back down and squeezed Tohru's hand comfortingly. Tohru blushed and pulled her hand away from his. Mitsuo laughed at her shyness and ignored it when more popcorn hit him in the head throughout the movie.

When the movie was over, he dragged Tohru outside and held her hand while walking through the streets. He pointed out various stores and such and took her shopping for some more clothes and trinkets. He found a few things he really liked and went to try them on.

A few hours later, they waited for their limo to come, holding lots of bags full of clothes and trinkets for Tohru. It seemed they had been able to enjoy themselves without any interruptions from Mikuni. _Haha, sucker!_ Mitsuo thought. Tohru had to go to the bathroom, so she put her bags down and hurried to the bathroom in a nearby café, promising to be back in a moment. Tohru hurriedly washed her hands.

* * *

A dark-haired, spooky girl wearing all black and a black mantle stopped walking on a nearby street for a moment. _These waves….they feel like Tohru-kun's waves…but she couldn't be here…_ Yes – it was Hana-chan, buying some more black outfits from this marketplace. She looked around the streets hopefully, but saw no glimpse of Tohru. All the same, she couldn't ignore the denpa waves she was feeling – she was sure they were Tohru's, and that meant Tohru had to be here somewhere. She walked around, looking for Tohru.

The limo pulled up, so Mitsuo put all of the bags in the trunk and held the door open, waiting for Tohru. Tohru rushed out and slipped into the car, apologizing for making them wait. Mitsuo climbed in and shut the door, and they were off. Unfortunately, Hana-chan had her back to them and had not seen Tohru, but she felt the waves grow weaker. _Oh dear, I have missed her. _She decided she would not shop anymore, and she caught a taxi and headed home, ready to tell Uo-chan and the Sohmas of her suspicions.

* * *

Yuki and Shigure sat in Hatori's car quietly, driving to the Sohma Estate. "Keep your cool and don't say anything stupid. I'll be coming in with you." Hatori said, cutting though the silence. Shigure and Yuki simply nodded. They got out of the car and walked to Akito's room. Hatori knocked on the door and waited for a response.

"Hatori?"

"Yes, Akito, it's me, I need to speak to you."

"Come in, then." He was looking out of the window and didn't bother to turn around. Hatori stepped in, and Shigure and Yuki filed in quietly behind him without making a sound. "What is it?"

"It's about Honda Tohru-kun."

"That idiot girl? Is it time for her to go?" He said, turning around. "Ohh, I have guests, too? Hello, Shigure, Yuki. I have missed you _so_ much, Yuki, why don't you ever come visit me?" He said, stepping towards Yuki.

"Tohru-kun has been kidnapped." Hatori said shortly.

"Hmph, so what? What am _I_ supposed to do about that?"

"Ahh, there is a condition that we need to get your consent on in order to save her life!" Shigure said, raising his finger and being informative. Akito raised an eyebrow, staring at them as if they were stupid. "The kidnapper would like the land beyond the Sohmas' mountains at the hot springs."

"They want land? For _her_ worthless life? No way, she can go to hell!"

"Shut up, Akito. Just because she means nothing to you doesn't mean we don't care about her!" Yuki spluttered out angrily, curling his hands into fists in his lap.

Akito narrowed his eyes at Yuki. "Are you telling _me_ to shut up, Yuki?" He put a hand on Yuki's cheek. "Do you miss that room so much?"

Yuki stared back angrily at Akito and pushed Akito's hand off of his face. "Don't touch me."

Shigure tried to clear things up. "So she means absolutely nothing to you, Akito-san? There's no way you would ever save her life?"

"Of course not, what am I, stupid?"

"No, you're just afraid she'll rob you of your control over the Sohmas. She's the only person who ever treated you – and the rest of us – with good care. You hate her because she's different, and because you think she might be a better leader than you are." Hatori said, closing his eyes and sighing before standing up and leaving the room, Yuki and Shigure following right behind him. Akito remained passive and stared at the closed door, thinking about all that Hatori had said without room for an argument. He thought of how strongly Yuki had reacted, how his eyes showed no signs of fear. Was he losing control over them? Tonight would undoubtedly be a long, long night for him, with lots of thinking and little sleep.

Missing Princess – Chapter 7: A Date and Much Befuddlement / END

Wow, I have been incredibly busy and tired lately. This is always on my mind, but I never get the chance to sit down and write and pull you out of some suspense and throw some more mysteries at you. So, what do you think Akito will do? Any thoughts on the matter? And what do you guys think of the date? Or Hana's denpa waves? Remember, you can still vote for a preferred coupling if you haven't already!

1. Yuki x Tohru

2. Kyou x Tohru

3. Mitsuo x Tohru

4. Mikuni x Tohru

5. Tohru stays single

As it is right now, this will be a Yukiru, so unless more people vote for Kyou,

Mitsuo, or Mikuni, everyone else will have to deal with this being a Yukiru! Fear not, because they all got votes, it'll be fluff between Mitsuo/Mikuni and Tohru and there shall be twists and turns before Tohru chooses Yuki or Kyou...I might still make this a Kyoru, so do not lose all hope just because Yuki has 4 more votes than Kyou, my lovely Kyou fans!

Until next time! Ja ne! I love you all! –Does another happy dance-

- ( Tohru-tan ) -


	8. Chapter 8: Discovering What's Inside

DISCLAIMER: Fruits Basket is the property of Natsuki Takaya. I do own this story, and the non-Fruits Basket characters too! Yippee!

Goodness, high school has been INCREDIBLY busy! I am so sorry for not having written in like what, a million years? I hope I still have readers when I post this up…I got a ton of reviews, so that's what's coming at you all first! It took me longer to get this chapter out because I had reviews from like, a billion people, and before I posted this, I realized that now lets you reply to reviews….so I had to go back, send everyone their correct reply, and then post this! That was a wee bit hard because some people changed their names, so I had to go back to my email, look in my archives, and match the comments to the one I responded to. So, that took a while, but I finally have this out now! Please forgive me if I accidentally missed some people….I only left the anonymous peoples' review responses here (or people whose name I might've skipped over and didn't find), but let me know if you don't get a response!

**Animeluvers** – Haha, vote processed! I've seen the anime, and it leans towards Kyou and Tohru at the very end, but it seems to suggest Yuki and Tohru. Volume 15 is not even out yet here in the U.S.! Did you find it online somewhere! Could I have the link if you still have it! Lol. Thank you for the review!

**Blizzardgrl **– Sorry, I've been busy these past three months…!

**EverlastingWolf** – Thanks for reviewing! Your vote has been added!

**Fish R Slimy** – Haha, I love your username! Well, your vote has been counted, so thanks for reviewing and voting! –Smiles –

**Izzy** – Okie dokie! Thanks for voting!

**Kitsune-san/chan** – Haha….your review made me laugh sooooo much! –Wipes tears from eyes from laughing so hard– I'm glad you enjoy my story – that was a very nice review ;

**Kurokawa** – Thanks for voting and reviewing!

**Lauren** – Thank you! I do like originality! –Winks–

**Person** – Thank you! Oh man…I haven't updated in so long that I fear I may have lost you! I am truly flattered that you enjoy my story though! I suppose you are a Yuki/Kyou + Tohru fan, eh? Well, that's one more vote for each of them!

**Person** – I'm incredibly sorry if you're the same "person" as above – I don't know for sure when people use indefinite names, so I sincerely apologize! Yeah, Tohru-chan is not a trophy! Another vote for Yuki and Kyou…. –scribbles on notepad– I'm deeply flattered by your thoughtful comments! I do enjoy writing every bit out – I don't like stories that jump form one thing to another because often times it leaves me confused!

**Person ** - Erm, sorry if it's the same "person" again…Can I have your name or a pen name or something if it's been the same "person" this whole time: Well, because you support both of them, I'm going to add your vote for both of them again…lol. I'm considering the perverted idea, so do keep up hopes for that!

**Some one** – Haha, another vote, then!

**To lazy to log-in** – Ooh, scary! I don't want death threats!

**Tommymoose888** – Another Kyoru fan, eh? No worries, it shall be Yuki or Kyou easily and by far, since they seem to be INCREDIBLY popular…Perverted, huh? That's an interesting thought…I like that idea! Hmm….

**Yoshiru** – Haha, Mitsuo definitely meant Mikuni – they're rivals for her love, so Mikuni is supposed to be jealous that Tohru went on a date with Mitsuo and not with Mikuni…of course, Mikuni's quite confident in himself and isn't the least bit fazed, but ahh well!

Current Poll Results:

Yuki x Tohru - 26

Kyou x Tohru - 22

Mitsuo x Tohru - 1

Mikuni x Tohru - 4

Tohru stays single - 4

I'm much too lazy to check who voted or not already, so if I double count people's votes, I'm sorry…..

Anyways, the story of my life: band practice 3:30-7PM every Monday and Wednesday, a football game every Friday, cramming in tons of homework from all my Honor's classes….it's hard. I mean, my season is over, but I have been bombarded with stuff from my other classes, so there has been no time for me to relax!

Okay, so people have been complaining that my story seems like a Yukiru/Aoe brothers x Tohru type. I am going to call for a new poll, so everyone please vote again! This time it will be a choice of either Yukiru or Kyoru! Because I got votes for the others, I will add one or two fluff chapters to appease those reviewers of mine and still hang onto all my other reviewers – I respect everyone's opinion, and I don't want to be biased and lose reviewers! Anyways, I hope you enjoy this chapter!

RECAP:

**Shigure tried to clear things up. "So she means absolutely nothing to you, Akito-san? There's no way you would ever save her life?"**

"**Of course not, what am I, stupid?"**

**"No, you're just afraid she'll rob you of your control over the Sohmas. She's the only person who ever treated you – and the rest of us – with good care. You hate her because she's different, and because you think she might be a better leader than you are," Hatori said, closing his eyes and sighing before standing up and leaving the room, Yuki and Shigure following right behind him. Akito remained passive and stared at the closed door, thinking about all that Hatori had said without room for an argument. He thought of how strongly Yuki had reacted, how his eyes showed no signs of fear. Was he losing control over them? Tonight would undoubtedly be a long, long night for him, with lots of thinking and little sleep. **

Missing Princess

Chapter 8: Discovering What's Really Inside

"Ano, arigato gozaimasu, Mitsuo-kun! Today was lots of fun, and you bought me so many things!" Tohru said happily when they had returned to the mansion.

"My pleasure, princess," Mitsuo said as he smiled warmly at her and bowed. Tohru flushed deeply. _Why is he always calling me princess and bowing to me and kissing my hand! _

Being the typical gentleman, he escorted Tohru to her room while a few of the servants took all of their things from the car and took them upstairs, placing the clothes in the drawers and the charm bracelets in top of the dresser on cushions. Mitsuo took his time taking her upstairs, knowing that the servants would take a few minutes to put away everything. "So," he began conversationally, "what was your favorite part about today?"

Tohru looked thoughtful and put her finger on her lips, thinking hard. _God, she looks so cute!_ Mikuni thought. "I liked the whole day!" she said at last.

"Everything?" Mitsuo said, puzzled. He'd never met a person who liked every moment of their day.

"Hai, everything! Everything was fun, and I made lots of good memories today with you!" Tohru smiled happily at Mitsuo. A pink hue appeared on his cheeks, but before he could say anything, Tohru said, "You know, Mitsuo-kun, I am happy here. Everyone here is so nice, but…" She trailed off into a melancholic silence and stared at the floor.

For a moment, Mitsuo's heart leaped. "But? But what?"

Sighing, she finished, "But I miss my family. I miss the Sohmas. I miss Kyou-kun, Shigure-san, and Yuki-kun. I miss Kisa-chan, who is like a little sister to me. I miss Momiji-kun's playfulness, and…a-and…my two best friends, Hana-chan and Uo-chan…" She couldn't say more, for tears had filled her eyes and she had begun to sob. She wiped her tears on her hand, trying to hide her tears, but they kept coming out. "It's been so long since I saw any of their smiling faces or heard their loving voices. They all care about me so much, and I haven't even been able to tell them where I am…"

Mitsuo pulled out a handkerchief and wiped her tears gently. "Hey, it's okay for you to miss your family, and cry all you want. I'm here to listen to you," he said softly, giving her a warm smile.

Tohru look at him in the eyes for a moment, and then she stared at the floor. "I haven't seen Okaa-san in so long. I don't know why, but I even miss Akito-san a little bit…"

"Okaa-san? Didn't you say you lived with your grandfather before you left to live with the Sohmas? And who is this Akito-san?"

"Okaa-san died last year…and Akito-san is the head of the Sohma family. He is cruel and cold, and he has hurt me before, but I want to help him. Even if it's just a little bit, I want to show him what spring is like!" She remembered that day when she had gone to visit him, and a small frown appeared on her face. She remembered telling Akito that she didn't know why she had gone to visit him, and how Akito had pulled her hair and told her that she had simply wanted to tell him that she wanted to stay with the Sohmas. Akito said he would make her regret being involved with the Sohmas, that he would make her suffer and make her bow down to him. She remembered that she had cried, but she never forgot what he felt. It was his actions that made her want to help him. To her, he was like a caged bird that had forgotten how to live life and smile. She was determined to help him as much as she would be able to.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to pry into your personal life, Tohru-kun…," Mitsuo said quickly, seeing her frown. He didn't need to make her cry any more than she already had.

"Iie, it's okay," she said, smiling at him. She wiped the last of her tears off of her face and said, "Well, I'm going to rest now for a while, so I will see you at dinner!"

Mitsuo nodded. "Sleep well!" He closed the door to her room and went off to his room to reflect on his day. Most of all, he wanted to get Tohru home. She was happy here, but inside she was miserable, and that much he could tell.

* * *

Tohru was not the only miserable person; Akito lay on the porch, sunbathing, while brooding over what Hatori had said. _Am I really afraid of losing power to that girl? _Answering his own question, he shook his head and said, "NO WAY! I'll never lose to that stupid girl!" But Hatori's words echoed in his mind. "_No, you're just afraid she'll rob you of your control over the Sohmas. She's the only person who ever treated you – and the rest of us – with good care. You hate her because she's different, and because you think she might be a better leader than you are."_ Could it be true? Did he really feel that way? He could not deny that she had somehow made him feel cared for – she was indeed different, maybe special.

And then, he remembered more. That day when she had come to see him, she had said, "It must be painful, Akito-san, to be surrounded by death since you were born." She had said that the Sohmas were scared and would be sad if he died, though he doubted it. And yet, he felt something inside of him, struggling to break free and yearning to live once more. She had said that he was alive, and that it was okay to get angry and go through hard times…because he was _alive_. She said that she was happy that she met him, that she would never regret knowing the Sohmas. She was incapable of understanding Akito's fear, and yet she was the only person who had listened to him, the only person who wanted to know more about the way he felt, the only person who made him admit that he had never asked to die young and bear the full weight of the Sohma curse. She was an unfathomable being to him. He remembered her tears and the sincerity with which she had said everything to him, honestly and truthfully without regrets.

_Me? She wants to hear more about me? She wants to talk to me? I was so mean to her…and yet, she never regretted meeting me? How is that possible? _Even now, Akito could not understand her. She was a mysterious being to him. _She's too stupid, too naïve, too ugly to ever be able to take over this family from me._ His mind said one thing, but his heart made several other questions ring in Akito's mind. _But why do I want to talk to her, to tell her how I feel? Why do I not want her to be gone forever? Why do I feel that she shouldn't lose her innocence from these kidnappers? Why am I being so worried about her – I thought she meant nothing to me. What did I miss? _

Akito closed his eyes for a moment, and then sat up. _I will let the family save her. I'll make them all suffer later! Yeah, that's what I want – to make them suffer! I don't care for that idiot girl! _He could not fully admit to himself that he was shaken by her words from that day, that he wanted to have some attention. He stood up and walked outside of his room over to where Hatori worked. "Hatori," he called in a soft yet commanding voice.

Startled, Hatori looked up from his work. He swiveled in his chair and turned around; seeing Akito, he stood up and walked over to him, his hands in his coat pockets. "Yes Akito? Are you feeling unwell? Do you have a fever again?"

Slowly, Akito asked, "How is that girl supposed to be saved?"

"We're supposed to put up 12 flags, and one must be yours. The kidnapper's servant or someone will see the flags at the end of the week and deliver the next letter. Why do you ask?" Hatori added curiously.

Akito turned around and smirked. "Well, that's 14 flags up by the end of the week, then."

Stunned, Hatori said, "You mean, you want to save her as well?"

"Isn't that what it sounded like?" Akito snapped. He walked out of the room. He walked back to his room, shut the door, and slid down the wall. _God, I cannot believe I just did that…_He thought to himself, holding his head in his hands. He felt a strange warmth inside – he liked it, and yet he was afraid of it, and he didn't want it to consume him. For the first time in his life, he was confused about his motives, about the way he felt about everything. He was unknowingly becoming a living being once more, and yet he was afraid of it all. He slid his right hand down from his head and touched his chest gingerly, wanting to discover the location of the warmth. "What the heck is this feeling?" Akito wondered, whispering to himself.

Hatori peered from a crack between the wall and the door. He collected his thoughts, and smiled at Akito for the first time in his life. He smiled with renewed hope as he phoned Shigure to tell him the good news.

* * *

"Hmm, he's succumbed to his own true feelings in the end. This bodes well! We're lucky he's still confused, otherwise he might refuse again…" Izumi said to himself, having listened to the whole conversation between the two and watching Akito's bewilderment.

"Excellent work, Izumi," Reiji praised, stepping into Izumi's room. "I'll have the second letter ready, and you can deliver it Friday night."

"Thank you, sir! I look forward to Friday, then!" Of course, these two had yet to discover that Akito was not as simple at they thought. Attaining land from them was going to be a lot tougher than they thought, especially since the obstinate Akito always liked things done his way.

Missing Princess – Chapter 8: Discovering What's Really Inside / END

Ah, finally, I've written another chapter! I do hope you find it to be to your liking. Since I haven't written in so long, in comparison to how my other chapters were laid out and the pace of chapters, how was this one? Also, here is the new poll – please vote!

POLL:

1. Yuki x Tohru

2. Kyou x Tohru

Oh yeah, the title didn't fit in the little dropdown thingy, so I just shortened it to "Discovering What's Inside" on the dropdown thing….

So, I hope nobody thought Akito was falling in love with Tohru or anything. She's bringing him back to life by not being there! In a way, she's helping him become more human and less of a cruel monster. I'll appreciate it greatly if my fans still review me! Lots of love! Until next time, ja ne!

- ( Tohru-tan ) -


End file.
